


Hiring Practises

by Gaqalesqua, Shellbacker



Series: Collabs [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Banter, Biting, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Brontophilia, Coming Inside, Creampie, Cunnilingus, Danger Kink, F/M, Face-Sitting, Femdom, Gun Kink, Gunplay, Hair-pulling, Handcuffs, Knife Kink, Knifeplay, Love Bites, Mildly Dubious Consent, Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgasm Denial, Overstimulation, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Scratching, Sexual Tension, Smut, Snark, Teasing, Vaginal Fingering, Wet & Messy, we pulled up some tropes here lads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-01 00:10:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaqalesqua/pseuds/Gaqalesqua, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shellbacker/pseuds/Shellbacker
Summary: Frustrated with one settlement's refusal to join up, Nora decides to try her luck with their handyman. It should be simple - offer him a job, give him caps for his time, and leave.In hindsight, she should have knocked first.





	1. Chapter 1

“You guys remember the call we sent out to you last week?” Nora asked, sitting down at the table with the head farmer. He gazed at her, not blankly, but closed-off. Her brow furrowed a little.

“We remember,” he agreed. “But we had a chat with the workers first.”

“So, you made your decision?”

The head farmer nodded. Nora had been trying to get Sunshine Tidings Co-op to join the Minutemen for weeks now. They’d either ignored her or asked for more time. She appreciated the desire to remain independent, but at this point, being blanked like this was starting to irritate her.

“We’ve already got a guy who comes and fixes up the defences,” the farmer told her. “Does good work. Just takes his pay. Doesn’t throw his weight around. One of our turrets was written off as a bust and he got it up and running like it was nothing. We get what you’re trying to do, General. No offense, but this place can stand by itself. We don’t want to throw our boys into the Minutemen’s ranks, not if we don’t need to.”

“So who is this guy?”

“Just a mercenary. Swung by a while back and asked if we needed any fixin’. He charged, obviously, but he’s been worth every cap ever since. He even took care of a mutie problem we had. Groaned a bit, but he wiped ‘em out anyway.”

“Does he stay here on the farm?” she asked. The farmer squinted, briefly. “I’m just curious.”

“Why, you trying to buy him out?”

“And if I did?”

She watched his jaw tighten, and he looked away.

“Well, that would be cheating, General,” he said. He sounded uncomfortable. Nora nodded.

“What if I talk to him, and see what he says, and he can talk with you, and nobody gets left out of the loop?” she suggested.

“You want us all to hold hands too, ma’am?”

“I’m not trying to make you dependent on me. We’re the Minutemen, not the Gunners. If your mechanic wants to come work for me, the only one that’ll have to fly the flag is _him_ , not you. He gets access to all our resources, firepower and tools included. And I promise, nobody will have to wear one of the hats.”

A little of the hostility drained from the farmer opposite her.

“Look, if he turfs me out on my ass, I won’t bother you again, I promise. I’m trying to keep people safe out here. That’s all I’m doing.”

“You’re saying ‘promise’ a lot,” the man pointed out. “Hope you’re going to hold to them promises.”

“Cross my heart.”

“Hmm.” He leaned back. “You seriously saying you’ll leave if I tell you where our mechanic lives? And if he tells you to fuck off, you won’t come back?”

“Yep. And if _he_ says yes, worst case scenario, he has better tools to fix your place up.”

“I’m startin’ to see how you got that fancy hat,” the farmer sighed. “You argue the other guys into a corner until they handed it over?”

“Punched a Deathclaw in the face,” Nora corrected. “But I used to argue with people for a living before that. Not sure if I prefer the Deathclaw punching or not.”

“God, okay!” the farmer groaned. “He lives up in Fort Hagen. Defenses are programmed to recognise us, but you’ll have to make your way in somehow.”

“Break into Fort Hagen to find a mercenary? I’ve never done _that_ before,” Nora muttered. “Thanks. I won’t take up anymore of your time.”

* * *

 The familiar sight of the building entered Nora’s view as she rounded the corners of yet another ruined neighbourhood road. It looked as if Fort Hagen hadn’t been touched since her last visit.

Except, it seemed, for the line of turrets wreathing the top of the fort.

Following her usual path under the turrets’ line of fire, she crept into the parking garage like she did before to get the jump on Kellogg. Again, like the turrets, a detail was out of place, or in this case: added.

Among the filthy, rusted, ruined vehicles in the lots, there was one carefully parked. It looked almost pristine, but all the polish couldn’t hide a faint tinge of orange fallout which infected the metal finish. She inched forward carefully, switching on the PipBoy light. Her eyes swept the floor to check for traps and tripwires, but there was nothing to hinder her path, and when she finally got to the vehicle, her mouth dropped open.

It was a Lone Wanderer motorcycle. A 2050 special edition. Black bodywork, custom leather seat - or it once had been. She remembered the brief ownership she’d had of one of these before the bombs dropped, and she bit her lip. _Shit_. Whoever this mechanic was, he was clearly able to do more than just fix up turrets.

And now she was jealous.

She looked over towards the fire exit that led into the fort, and, leaving the bike with a lingering, longing glance, she turned, and headed into the building. Most halls inside rested as she left them, dust and trash piled in various corners and against walls. However, there were some avenues that weren’t cluttered with garbage and blasted synth fragments. Some were swept. New objects decorated their surface, though they looked more like random inventions or fascinations than furniture.

So far, no mechanic. Nora checked the maintenance corridors, the command centre, the mess hall, no sign of life. No half-eaten meals, no boots thrown over the floor, no muddy prints.

Finally she heard it. Nearing the bedroom before the reception area, the sound of running water slowly filled her ears. As she snuck closer and closer to the source of the noise, she heard something she would never have expected, especially of the type of person the farmers described the mechanic as.

_Whistling._

He was whistling _Personality_. Some notes went off, way off, so much that she could feel the way it grated on her ears, close to painful. Soon he sang too, and it was worse. Wincing, she felt the urgent need to silence the discordant attempt at song before he reached the crescendo.

She checked the turrets before she approached. They were shut down, and without another thought, she sauntered through the door to the bedroom, and watched the wisps of steam escape out of the bathroom door, floating across the room. There was a new sheet on the double bed and the bar and counter were lined with packets of food, tins of coffee and various junk. She realised slowly that the mechanic was almost certainly to the right of her, in the shower.

Which left her with options.

She _could_ step outside and wait for him. But then he might pull a gun. People didn't usually wander into places like Fort Hagen. She wasn’t most people, but that didn’t mean she could survive getting shot if his aim was good enough.

“Hey!” she yelled. “Hey! You in the shower, I need to talk to -”

Before she could finish, her instincts pulled her away from the door as a projectile flew towards her, shattering against the wall. Nora looked over the debris and spotted the busted neck of a beer bottle.

“What the fuck?! Who, what, who are you?!”

Nora, confident the mechanic had nothing more to throw at her, peered her head around the doorway of the bathroom. Steam obscured most of her vision for a brief moment, but when she finally managed to see, she immediately spun on her heel, blood rushing to her face. Perhaps it had been naive of her to assume that he’d have pulled the shower curtain around. She’d been wrong.

“Hey!” he called back, rapidly shutting off the faucet. “There are these things - they’re called ‘doorbells,’ or knocking! Maybe you’ve heard of ‘em?!”

“Most people cover themselves up using shower curtains!”

“Well, lady, this is the part where I tell you I’m not like ‘most people.’”

“I could tell that by the motorbike in the garage.”

He paused for moment, a brief moment, but long enough for Nora to pick up on the hint that he was thinking. Her words threw a wrench in his thoughts.

“... What do you know of my bike?”

“It’s amazing but it’s not the reason I came here,” she told him. “The settlers down in the Co-op sent me.”

“Fuck, it is ghouls this time?” he groaned. She bit her lip at the sound.

“I wanted to talk to you about the Minutemen.”

Then he turned, noticing her peer into the bathroom. Her eyes bore intently into his face, but his gaze flicked upwards, and rested on the tricorn atop her dark hair. Scowling, he turned away and twisted the tap back on.

Nora frowned. She was _not_ leaving and coming back later. If the Co-op didn’t want to join, she needed an answer _now_ so that she wasn’t spending valuable time and resources weeks down the line ensuring that they joined up. She ignored the naked man in the shower for a moment, her eyes roving around the bathroom. They fell on his towel. She stormed into the bathroom, grabbed it, and marched back to the doorway.

“I’ll cut you a deal. If you give me fifteen minutes of your time and you don’t like what I have to offer, I’ll give you 300 caps. Yes or no?” she asked.

Eyes already rolling, the mechanic turned his head. His mouth formed some profanity he was about to spew when he spotted the new item clutched in Nora’s hand. His lips pursed as his head tilted, the blank stare of disappointment clear on the lines of his fair skinned face. Strands of soaked hair matted to a deep brown slid over his eye while his beard retained its blond colour and rigid composure. Weren’t the Minutemen above this? _Guess not._

“Don’t pout. You can spare fifteen minutes. You’ve been in here for ages. The walls are practically crying. Also, you’re going to get all pruney. So, quarter of an hour, you hear what I have to say. If you don’t like it, I’ll go. Otherwise, stop ignoring me, because I’m not going away.”

Suddenly a wide, toothy grin spread across his face as he twisted back to the shower wall. He looked down at himself. Caps sounded reasonable, especially for so little time…

“How about,” he returned her gaze, “two minutes and you make it quick before I chase you down for my towel. My tetanus shots are up to date, kinda. Don’t test me.”

“Ten minutes, and I’m keeping your towel now,” she told him. “Caps are still on the table.”

“Three minutes,” he shot immediately after she finished.

“Seven.” This was getting ridiculous.

“Four?”

Nora took a few steps away from the door. “Seven.”

“Five - and don’t test me!” he reminded her, taking a couple steps off the shower tile.

When Nora didn’t respond, he took off, nearly losing his feet to the drenched floor. Round the doorway, the surface below was still wet and he had no way of slowing his momentum. Nora hadn’t gained much ground, so the mechanic lunged with every slippery intention of reclaiming his towel but with little control.

Nora hadn’t expected the movement and, having her back to the man, had no way to stop him from careening into her. A piece of scrap caught her boot and they both tumbled over each other. Nora landed on her hands and knees, the mechanic almost entirely on her back.

He quickly snagged the towel, ripping the fabric from her grip. As he rolled off, Nora twisted enough to see him jab a hand under the mattress. What he pulled out had the blood rush from her face as she froze. Now she stared at him down the barrel of a gun, a revolver from what she could make out at her angle. Cold fear ran down her spine, and turned to heat. Her breath caught, just the tiniest amount.

_Fuck._

The mechanic seemed to lounge on his side rather close to Nora, baring it all, one elbow on the ground. Cocking the hammer, he grinned again.

“Name’s Cullen, by the way. And it’ll be _five_ minutes because I’m feeling generous. Good enough for you?”

“That’s kind of you,” she said, her voice coming out in a croak. “Nora. Pendleton. General. Um…”

The suit leg of her vault suit was quickly becoming saturated. There was a soft pressure on her thigh, and she kept her eyes on his face, determined not to look down.

“Don’t you think it’s a little extreme to be pulling a gun on me?” she added.

“Listen, _General_ ,” he said mockingly, not paying any heed to their physical contact, “I don’t know you; I don’t know what you’re capable of or if you came alone. To boot, you broke into _my_ home. Most people would call what I’m doing ‘home defense,’ but again, I’m not ‘most people,’ so how about we have this fucking conversation so you can march right the hell out of here in that friffy coat before we play rough?”

“If I wanted to shoot you, I’d have done it whilst you were showering. Probably thrown in a grenade,” she pointed out. “But I didn’t. I made sure you knew I was here.”

His eyes narrowed. He wouldn't believe it, against all evidence. There was no way to trust a stranger and for once, he had no response.

“Can you get up please?" Nora asked politely. She could feel the droplets landing on her from his damp hair.

He took a moment to check out the rest of her, though the intention Nora saw was different. "Unless you were planning on stripping some layers, you'll have to give me a minute for that one."

Her eyes widened, and she fought down the blush that burned across her skin.

“That is _not_ what I meant!” she protested.

Pleased with himself, Cullen continued. “So you're the general Preston settled with?" he poked, making the move to his feet with the gun still trained on his intruder. "Would've thought you'd react a little... better at gunpoint."

"Gunpoint usually involves more clothes!"

His hand lowered for a moment, then the situation finally made sense. It wasn’t the gun at all that made her nervous, but it didn’t make it easier for her. Nora flustered easily, he could see that now - and would definitely take advantage.

"If you're not used to crazy naked men pointing guns at you by now, you really gotta visit Goodneighbour more often; really builds a tolerance. Now, Nora, you wanted to talk? C'mon. Clock’s ‘a tickin’ and you’re already down to four minutes."

Cullen motioned her to rise with the gun. She did so, slowly, keeping her arms visible and her eyes on him and away from… _the rest_. She could've gone for the disarm, but what would that have done? As hard as it was becoming, this had to be done without violence.

“That’s not usually why I visit Goodneighbour,” she said as she stood.

“Three minutes, forty-five seconds left and you’re wasting it on small talk.”

Nora frowned as he tsked, leading her from the bedroom, down another swept hallway. _He_ was the one talking.

What a bastard.

She remembered the halls. Cullen was taking her to the reception office which laid out before another doorway leading to what was once Kellogg’s room. The furniture was still there: that ugly, beaten red sofa, paired with an equally faded, large coffee table in front of it which was far too tall for anyone sitting to reach comfortably.

“Nice boots, by the way,” he mentioned, indicating them with the revolver as they rounded the corner. “Where’d ya get em?”

“I made them,” she replied, confused. “Why?”

Cullen shrugged with a cheeky grin. “No reason. They look… carefully made. Fits you nicely.”

Nora, deflecting his gaze as heat crawled up her neck, snuck a look into Kellogg’s room while she had the chance, her face burning at the comment. The bed was gone, as was most of the furniture - replaced with various piles of scrap which seemed to be organized in some chaotic fashion. This man certainly kept busy.

She watched him lazily drape his towel over the coffee table and take a seat as he motioned her to sit on the sofa. He made no effort to cover himself, sitting with his legs rather wide. Nora had tried to keep her eyes off of anything below the neckline while she was being escorted down the hall. He’d walked backwards, always keeping his eyes and that damned gun on her. He could’ve at least wrapped the towel around himself in transit, but he didn’t.

_Of course not._

Cullen was a perfect specimen of the wasteland lifestyle: functionally built, but lean, trim, and not indicative of any lack of food. There was a peculiar difference in mass around the chest, shoulders, and legs. They were larger and slightly more defined - qualities Nora had to fight to ignore. Still, she remained steadfast in her focus, but could feel it beginning to waver.

As she sat in front of him, the fire creeping under her collar jumped several degrees more. There was no longer any defence against the full view he shamelessly provided. She’d have to angle her neck upward to meet his eyes, dare she look at any other point of interest. The whole situation bothered her in more ways than one.

“Feeling a little tense yet, Long Jane Silver? You _really_ suck at hiding it.”

“If the positions were reversed, how would _you_ be reacting?” she shot back.

Her eyes fell briefly on the gun once more, and it did nothing to quell the heat that was slowly driving her insane. Shit, she hated being at a disadvantage like this. Still, she endeavoured to keep her head clear, and not let her eyes fall where they shouldn’t be.

And already her gaze followed whatever scars and scratches she could see on his torso. If she let herself look _below_ his navel, however, she was going to lose it completely.  

His tone lowered, with an intrigued edge. 'I'd be damn stirred up and conflicted if what I'm picturing right now has any truth.”

Her face flushed, and she tried to suppress the urge to bite her lip. She didn’t quite manage, a hint of teeth flashing against dark lipstick. She needed to stay confident right now, but the admission of interest had thrown her off completely. She had a chance, she thought, but that was before what he said next.

“Is that how you want to cement this exchange? You want to be sitting here, naked, with the gun too?”

Wide-eyed, she could do little more than stammer out a few vague noises, and then a weak “...what?” Her eyes dropped briefly, following the lines of scars and cut of muscle before they rapidly made their way back to his face.

He stood. Nora immediately turned her head, slipping a hand into her hair to grab tightly onto it, anchoring herself to _something_. She bit her lip this time without even a hint of discretion, her face burning. She didn’t spot him lean in, bending over her. Before she knew it, the revolver’s plating grazed the side of her neck, ripping an unmistakable shiver through her entire body. Then she felt warm breath near her ear.

“Someone likes being threatened a little more than they should,” he purred.

Nora felt her mouth open in a failed attempt to get any air.

“ _Fuck you_ ,” she breathed, her voice wavering.

His free hand slid under her chin, slowly with a tightening grip. His hands were still a little damp from his shower. Cullen turned her face to his, her hand still anchored in her hair. Their eyes met once more, close enough for the mechanic to see the flecks of brown in the ocean of blue. Her heart pounded in her chest, heat flushing through her body, and she didn’t contain the whimper she let out as they looked at each other.

“You _want_ this?” he asked, circling a thumb over her jaw. The tone was clear and suggestive, soft. There was that brief window to back out, but the sensation of the gun pressing against her neck sent a throb of arousal through her.

“Yes,” she whispered.

His fingers pressed into the underside of her jaw and with a slightly painful pressure she was pulled to her feet, head tilting up to look at him. She felt herself lifting onto the tips of her toes, leaning in towards him. As he pulled her in closer, Nora lost her balance, and found herself falling against him, her hands wrapping around his neck. Their lips connected in haste with the rest of their bodies, a muffled moan filling the room. The water still collected on his skin saturated the front of her suit and she felt his cock pressing into her thigh as her hands slid into his wet hair, her touch gentle.

Still nudging the pistol to her neck, Cullen let his other hand fall inside her coat, sliding around her hip to the small of her back. He pulled harder, forcing their kiss deeper. Soon she felt his grip lower, over the curve of her ass. Then he squeezed, hard, pulling a sharp gasp from the pit of her throat. Their lips parted a moment as she glared at him with glazed eyes, her pupils blown wide. He let that smirk spread across his face, a choked breath escaping him.

Nora’s eyes narrowed, just a little. Her fingers gripped his hair and pulled in retaliation for the rough handling. The reception was something unexpected. Cullen’s knees buckled while an unrestrained moan broke from his mouth. An opportunity presented itself as the mechanic lost his footing, falling back heavily onto the coffee table and dragging Nora down with him. She fell onto his lap, still holding tightly to his hair, and found herself gazing into his eyes. His face was twisted in surprise, and she liked it. She pulled again. The second time enthralled him in ecstasy as he closed his wide, golden eyes and chuckled dryly.

“This is revenge for the gun,” she panted, her voice husky.

Cullen laughed again, heartier, sweeter, but the weapon was still on her. It pushed into the cobalt fabric, over the slope of her hip. He still took care to keep his finger outside the trigger guard. He’d never house an unloaded weapon, but his intention to fire it was long gone.

Nora made sure that her grip was firm, keeping a palmful of blond hair in her hand as she tugged his head to one side and exposed his neck a little better. Her tongue flicked out to trace the vein, her lips following the wet trail. His skin was still damp. A dark red path of lipstick marks lined the flesh as she kissed the underside of his jaw. Between the groans he bit back, she could feel it, the throb of his cock under her. She felt his breath catch beneath her mouth as she rolled her hips over his and slowly dug her teeth in, leaving a shallow bite mark in his neck. She gave his hair another rough pull as she picked a different part of his neck and bit him again, harder this time. He tried restraining his voice, but it ended in a burst of a groan, pleasing Nora’s ears greatly.

Of all that bothered him at the time, there was one thing irritating him: that damned hat of hers, poking his forehead and ears while she had her way with him.

“Hey, Jolly Roger, y’mind?!” he said between breaths.

“You mocking my hat?” she asked, moving her lipstick-smeared mouth away from his neck. She wiped some of the excess away from her lips with a wet hand, and gave his hair another sharp tug, grinding against the hardness pressing into her.

He didn’t reply, instead grinning once more as his eyes remained shut, wincing against each hard burst of pleasure Nora laid down on him. It was beginning to get on her nerves. That fucking smirk was the kind she just wanted to smack right off.

“You want me to take my hat off?” she asked.

Again, no words. His brows simply rose, as if to say, “ _anytime now!”_

“Okay.”

She gripped his hair tightly and slid off his lap. The coat swung back over Nora’s thighs as she straightened up. The gun still pressed into her side, and she managed to ignore it as she kept a vice-like grip on the hair in her hand. She gently raised her arm, forcing Cullen to stand. His eyes were trained on her, his face still covered in that smirk, though there was a hooded edge to his eyes as she gave his hair another tug. Experimentally, she stepped away from the couch, and Cullen followed her obediently, her grip on him an impromptu leash. She took another step, and then another, clearing the cramped space between the table and couch.

“Lost your smart mouth?” she murmured, mirroring the way he’d lead her there as she walked backwards towards his bedroom.

His crooked smile was still present. Somehow it seemed to be gaining a twisted kind of charm. "Wouldn't _you_ like to find out," he said. She twisted her wrist a little to apply a brief burst of pressure and watched his mouth fall open in pleasure.

They crossed the threshold of Cullen’s bedroom, and she turned, walking him backwards towards the bed. His calves hit the mattress, and then she was dragging his head back, his body following, hitting the cloth as a grunt escaped him. Nora straddled him immediately, taking off her hat and tossing it onto the bed. She unbuckled her radio belt, placing it down beside them, as he put the gun aside carefully.

Cullen ground his hips against hers, grasping her thighs and sliding his palms up her legs to cup her ass. One hand found itself obstructed by the pistol on her hip, and he looked up at her, one brow quirked. Nora shrugged, and Cullen suddenly realised she’d been packing the whole time. She could’ve pulled her gun on him at any point. He manoeuvred his palm past the weapon, and both hands grasped her backside.

He squeezed her roughly once more, and immediately felt a hand slide into his hair and tighten warningly. He did it again, and Nora rewarded his blatant groping with a harsh tug that made his eyes flutter shut.

Nora could feel the heat and slick between her thighs as she ground herself against him, her breath coming sharper and faster. Shrugging her coat off her shoulders, she tossed the garment aside and began unbuckling her chest plate. When that was gone, her fingers went for the zipper of her jumpsuit. She haphazardly drew it open, all the way down. The sound of zip had Cullen’s eyes flying open, and he took in the sight of the dark, flushed skin beneath the bright blue fabric.

“Ah, fuck,” he breathed.

She made no move to strip herself further, and simply leaned down to kiss him again. His palm skimmed over her ass, up her back, and as Nora nibbled on his lip, she felt his fingers slip between them, sliding beneath the unzipped suit and cupping her breast. She felt him squeeze gently, and just as she pulled back to deliver another sharp tug on his hair, he pushed the faded white cup of her underwear up and grasped bare flesh.

A switchblade dropped from between her skin and the fabric, landing on him.

Cullen's eyes froze over the instrument. Without moving a moving a muscle, he darted his gaze to her eyes. That wasn't a usual item he involved in intimacy. Guns were one thing. They were directionally dangerous, had safeties. Knives? They were always unpredictable, even in play.

Nora grinned faintly and plucked it off of him. He still had his hand around the bare soft flesh of her breast, frozen in a light grope. She sprung the blade open in front of her, high enough for him to see at the angle she kept his head. His brow popped, then she let the blade rotate downward in her fingers. Cullen's hand slowly retracted from under her garment with the help of the knife's point.

“Surprise,” she said calmly.

“In my defence,” Cullen began, “you didn’t say I couldn’t.”

“You’re right,” she agreed, and put the knife aside, one hand still in his hair as she picked up her belt. She spread it over the mattress above his head, and one wrist at a time, she placed his arms on top of the belt. She gave him one more sharp, ruthless tug to pacify him, and then hurriedly secured his wrists to the headboard.

“This my punishment for ‘misbehaving?’” he asked.

“It is.”

“I plead ignorance!” he shot dramatically after a moment’s silence.

A scoff left Nora’s lips, though the use of a legal phrase, even if unsophisticated, intrigued her. “You know that’s not an excuse.”

She slipped off his lap, feet finding the floor, and began pulling her suit over her shoulders. Cullen watched her, admiring her as she started undressing. She had one arm bare when she noticed him watching her, and she immediately moved back to the bed, picking up her hat. She tossed it idly over his face, obscuring his view.

“Oh, come on!” Cullen pouted.

“You wanted to watch me get naked since you crashed into me,” Nora accused, bracing a foot against the bed as she unlaced both boots, one after the other. She kicked her shoes off, and unclipped her bra, making sure to be slower than she would otherwise be as her eyes fell on the erection rising between the man’s legs. She peeled the suit down her legs, watching him like a hawk to ensure he didn’t try and shuck the hat from his face. Finally, she was throwing her panties into the pile of clothes, and she pulled the metal claw out of her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders.

She took the knife and the gun off the mattress as she reached the bed once more, placing both weapons down on the bedside table. Biting her lip shyly, she took in a deep breath, and plucked the hat from his face, throwing it into the pile with her clothes and letting him look her over.

At first his expression was stiff with impatience. Cullen caught her watching eyes before the rest, her lips quivering lightly into a smile that grew the longer he looked. The heat hit his body again with a vengeance just from that. Then he let his gaze descend over the slender curve of her neck and shoulders, slightly tensed but loose. He paused over the slopes of her collarbone, scanning its deep valleys. An urgent need rose in him to leave marks all over, giving more to the swells of her chest she pressed forward.

His eyes lingered around the full curves of her waist and hips, specifically the lighter lines of her stretch marks. If he hadn't seen those, he would've never guessed she was a mother. Scanning the rest of her - the detail of muscle in her legs, the tease of her lower lips which he swore glistened for a second as she shifted under the light - his jaw fell enough to inhale.

"Yeah," he confessed, struggling to swallow, "but I was already horny when you..." Finally he managed to bring the the air into his lungs. "'announced yourself.'”

He broke eye contact first when his cock pulsed, almost painfully.

"Don't just stand there," he beckoned in a fashion Nora considered the closest thing he'd get to begging. Her smile deepened, and she clambered onto the bed, her hair swishing over her shoulders as she leaned in and kissed him slowly, letting her mouth linger around his, riling him up further. She cupped his face gently as Cullen bit her lower lip, and her right hand slid down his body, cupping him, fingers wrapping around his cock and pumping slowly. Her kisses swallowed the gasps and moans that escaped him, his beard scratching her pleasantly.

His hips arched as she stroked him, his lips trembling against hers, and Nora moved her kisses down to his neck, nipping him. She kissed his clavicle, and he shivered as her mouth made its way down his chest, across his stomach. Her lips and tongue replaced her hand, and Cullen swore loudly, tugging furiously on the belt that kept him secure. She teased him for a few moments, swirling her tongue around the tip of his cock and slipping a few inches between her lips before the ache between her thighs became unbearable.

She wiped her mouth of saliva, realising that she’d left a red stain just below the head of his length. She straddled his stomach, shifting herself up him. Her hand slid into his hair and she pulled again, enjoying the groan he gave her.

"You missed, Nora," he croaked, arching under her weight.

She leaned over further and dug both hands in his hair, forcing him to look her straight on. "If you behave, I’ll do it again later,” she told him. “Are you always this selfish?"

Another damned grin spread over him with a burst of breath. "Only all the time," he said, grinning ear to fucking ear. One more sharp pull on his hair tugged his head back, and without a word, she straddled his face, looking at him with a single arched brow. Her expression simply said _behave_. Whether Cullen chose to or not would be up to him, but he nevertheless did not protest as she lowered herself to his mouth.

He took in a final gasp of fresh air as her scent invaded him. Wincing through a spike of arousing pain, he turned his mouth away in an effort to deny her the satisfaction she sought. Sucking the flesh just outside her folds, he bit lightly, pulling a soft gasp from the woman on top of him. She tried readjusting his mouth to no effect, so she did the next best thing, she shifted. She pressed her sex against his lips and she made out a muffled groan from beneath her.

“Pretty sure I wagered a blowjob on whether or not you do this well,” she reminded him, her breath catching. “You don’t seem that bothered, huh?”

She felt his cheeks rise under her, likely another conceited smile. He’d take what he wanted as soon as he slipped from his restraints. Still smirking, he flicked his tongue out and stroked the length of her slit from the base to her clit. He relished the loud, surprised moan that left her as she threw her head back and ground her hips deeper. Cullen stroked the tip of his tongue softly against her clit, and felt her thighs squeeze around his ears, just a little.

“Fuck,” he heard her gasp, and her fingers tugged painfully on his hair as her hips canted against his mouth. He groaned, the sound buzzing against her skin, and Nora slapped a hand against the wall, pulling once more to force more of the noises out of him. She felt his back arch upwards behind her as his tongue pressed into her opening. He teased her with it briefly, and her thighs tightened again. Nora’s nails dug into the ancient plaster and brittle wallpaper, leaving marks as she dragged a hand down the wall.

The tension coiled tight between her thighs, and she released his hair as she sagged against his mouth, feeling him cover her clit and begin to suck gently. She whimpered, releasing a cry. Her grip on his head closed tight as breathing became difficult, her body tensing. If Cullen could hear the sound of the paper ripping beneath her nails, he would have perfectly understood how close she was getting to tipping..

Nonetheless her sudden release caught him by surprise. He opened his eyes to see her bracing against the wall. As if the strength at which she constricted him wasn’t enough, he could see his time had come. For a brief moment, they shared a look as Nora’s mouth hung open, sucking in a deep breath as her body was wound up to that crest. Cullen winked as he felt her body tighten harder than before, her toes curling against his skin. He watched the way she curved into a perfect arch, quivering as she cried out loudly.

As satisfying as it would have been to let her watch him escape his bindings, he took the opportunity afforded by her climax to slip free of the belt. In the haze of her sensory overload, she felt the air whoosh by her ears. She briefly experienced the fear of falling. Eyes flying open, she realised she was now on her back, staring at the decrepit ceiling.

The position may have reversed, but Cullen’s head remained between her legs. His pace didn’t let up as she felt the tension rise again. Her thighs were hooked over his arms but he had the reach to grab her wrists. He pulled - she couldn’t move a muscle in her shaking body. Nora’s brain was hazy, her words slipping. She called his name desperately in a high, pleading voice, and lost her grasp on English.

The switch in languages was certainly new. Cullen looked up to watch her wail in a tongue he didn’t understand. He dismissed it as a sign that he was hitting the spot, and continued his assault until he couldn’t hold her legs back. His cock brushed the sheet beneath them and he realised they were going to need changing. She was dripping wet, her back arching as far off the bed as she could get it. Her eyes had squeezed shut, and as Cullen’s tongue tormented her, a few tears had leaked out the side. Her head twisted to look away from him, but she found herself frequently gazing at the blond head between her legs as another knot began coiling in her core. She was still shaking, freely calling for him as her hands twisted uselessly against the fabric.

She felt another explosive wave shoot through her as his tongue flicked harder. Cullen stroked and sucked her until she tensed, voice breaking on his name as she cried out, a sound that lasted a few moments until finally it died down. In a dizzyingly quick motion, he pounced from between her legs and carded his fingers through her dark hair, finding the back. He used that grip to anchor her, his throbbing cock resting on her mound. Nora flushed, wide-eyed, chest heaving. From what she felt of him, there was no question he’d bottom her out.

“Cullen,” she panted, and then she asked him a question he didn’t understand, her words a tad slurred, nevermind that they were in a foreign tongue.

His brow quirked, a grin tugging the side of his lip. “You’re gonna have to keep inside my language barrier, sweetheart. Even if that’s Mandarin, I only know a little.”

Nora blinked briefly, suddenly understanding. She took a few moments in her post-coital haze to try and clear her mind. He shifted on top of her, pausing with his tip to the opening of her dripping core. Nora’s breath caught, her attempts at clarity falling away.

“Something you wanted to say?” he asked genuinely, massaging small circles into the back of her scalp. “Hope it’s quick.”

“Please?” she whispered. Whatever the rest of her question had been, that was all she could remember now.

He answered with a kiss as he drew her in. She felt the head of his cock slip past her defense and whimpered. Without breaking the kiss, he thrust into her, his hips meeting hers. The sudden and incredible friction sent heat rolling through her body. Their lips broke and she felt her features contort with pleasure. There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm or smugness on his face. His expression was almost vulnerable. The sensation of being buried in her had broken down a wall, however briefly, and Nora watched him, her eyes lidded.

Pulling out for a second, Cullen let his face fall to her neck before hilting back in, slower this time.

“Son of a bitch,” he growled, and his lips caressed the length of her neck from the collarbone to her jaw. His teeth followed, a series of lovebites appearing on her dark skin as Nora rocked her hips against him.

“Really?” she breathed, curiously.

“It’s been a while; let me be,” he replied as he pulled away and entered her again, rougher. The motion ripped moans from them both.

“Is that...your excuse?” she teased, biting her lip as he ground his hips against hers. “Is that why...you insisted on five minutes?” She paused. “Three minutes...forty five sec-”

The mechanic’s grip tightened sharply in her hair. “Shut it.”

Nora glared at him reproachfully. “Don’t,” she warned.

He paused for a moment as the words formed in his mind. He was having trouble through the fog of ecstasy. “Ok,” he murmured, unclenching the fists of hair he gathered. “Won’t stop me from poking and.. prodding.”

His fingers left her hair gently, running over her temples. He grazed the swell of her lower lip with a thumb, pulling it down enough to reveal a flash of white. She bit the other half of her lip and held his stare. With more canting of their hips, Nora missed his fingers running down her neck as the nails from both his hands raked her skin. The pain tore a groan from her bared teeth. Now _that_ was nice.

Remaining buried inside her, Cullen placed a hand on the mattress while his other fingers traced each stretch mark, softly feeling the impressions they left in her skin. Their eyes met, and his nails scratched down her belly briefly before his hands slid around her waist.

“How long?” she asked, feeling the pressure of his fingers as his grip tightened on her.

Cullen’s other hand followed suit. “What?” he breathed.

“How long has it been?” She hardly got the words out as he squeezed both sides and rocked himself into her again. The heat mounted and she sensed his rhythm was about to pick up.

“Promise I’m... not lying,” he panted while Nora’s body recoiled below him, her hands clawing into the sheets with every thrust, each harder than the last. “Two hundred… _ugh, fuck!..._ years, give or take. _God, you feel good!_ ”

Her mouth fell open a little wider. Her expression was so roiled with heat and heightened pleasure there was no room for surprise. There was no way he could be another survivor, but Nora couldn’t piece together a coherent thought while his cock pounded into her. All she knew was what she wanted from him next.

She tried forming the words, but they didn’t surface with her breathless cries. She tried again, throwing her head back against the tension rising in her core. Finally, _finally,_ Cullen took notice. He slowed his momentum just enough to let her catch a breath.

Nora’s eyes met his, glassy blue finding glazed gold. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, thighs locking around his waist.

“Please,” she whispered, and dragged her nails down his back, kissing him roughly. The vice-like grip of her legs, keeping him seated in her, said more about what she wanted than if she’d spoken it aloud.

For a moment, his face softened even more. He broke from her eyes momentarily and turned away, then came back, his brows drawn with determination.

“No,” he protested, resuming his relentless pace.

But it was too late. Nora felt his movements becoming slightly erratic. She wanted it. She’d get it _-_ whether she was on top or not. She scratched him again and felt him shudder, his head burying itself in her neck. She knew he was going to cum before her, she could feel the tell-tale twitches of his cock as he kept fucking her roughly, and she made no effort to chase her own climax no matter how _good_ that angle was…

She slid her other hand into his hair, holding firmly as she carefully pulled his head back. Nora revelled in the way his face was twisted up, his eyes briefly meeting hers before he squeezed them shut. She leaned in and kissed him, muffling a long, drawn-out moan that quickly grew in volume as he reached his peak, trembling and shuddering with each thrust.

Her mouth left his, and the sudden cry of pleasure Cullen let out filled the room as she whispered his name, watching his face. His grip on her waist was almost bruising but she relished the bite of his nails. Nora whimpered at the rapid sensation of his cum filling her, and kept her thighs tight around him, keeping him seated deep in her until his orgasm finally abated.

The mechanic’s eyes were tightly shut as his head thunked down next to hers, and Nora raised a hand to gently run her fingertips across his cheekbone and forehead, managing to ignore the layer of sweat that had built up on his skin.

As the smart-mouthed blond fought to regain his breath, Nora remembered her own needs, and wondered if she should slip her hand between her legs and take care of it herself. It had been a while since _she’d_ had sex…

Though not 200 years.

She looked at him, and immediately wanted to ask him what he’d meant. Because the only conclusion she could draw was that he’d somehow made it here from the past, same as her, which would mean he was likely from a Vault. Hell…

“200 years?” she finally asked, trying to distract herself from the ache of unfulfilled buildup between her thighs.

Luckily, Cullen still hadn't pulled out. He poised himself on one hand and brought the other to his mouth. It caught Nora off further as he sucked on a couple fingers and reached over her mound. Still erect, he resumed burying himself in her, slowly and evenly. He wasn't capable of much more at the moment. Soon she felt the pressure of his slick fingers tease her clit.

"Wondering why I'm not a ghoul?" he breathed, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. "I'll give you a hint: it's not cosmetic surgery."

The noise of him thrusting into her was suddenly more noticeable, a loud, wet _shlick_ , and somehow, despite the fact that she was already naked and lying underneath him, it flustered her. She closed her eyes and whimpered as his fingertips rubbed at her nub, her thighs sliding wide open to give him more space. Slick and seed dribbled out of her as he kept fucking her. Nora moaned, arching up to kiss him as his fingers distracted her from formulating any more questions.

Perhaps that was his intention.

He slid the hand holding him up behind her ear, pulling her closer as he whispered, quickening the pace of his hips and fingers alike. "Need another hint?"

He'd want to watch her try to speak while he fucked her for sure.

“Vault?” she managed to gasp, the knot growing tight as the wet friction of his touch fed the ache. The touch was both relief and torment, and she found herself grabbing his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as she stumbled closer to climax.

The spike of pain she bore into him forced a growl out of him.

“Getting warmer,” he purred.

Her likely surprise was cut before it manifested again when he stopped. _He just stopped_.

Nora whined sharply as she felt his cock leave her quivering walls. Then he took his hands with him, practically rebounding off the bed. Clearly, he regained the energy he previously drained into her. She watched him round part of the bed, eyeing him as though he had just slapped her. She had just grasped at a lungful of air when he dug his fingers under her jaw again. Once more he pulled her to her feet as she whimpered.

“Cullen, wh-”

Cullen didn’t let finish as he pulled her in for a quick, deep kiss. Their lips parted with a wet _pop,_ leaving Nora even more dazed from the sudden deprivation. Once again, her mind was scattered.

He scanned the room for a moment as she squirmed on the tip of her toes, fluids beginning to run down her legs. Feeling it dribble down to her ankles drove her insane. The mechanic’s eyes rested on something opposite her view, then he darted his gaze down to her with renewed excitement.

Beside a sofa in as decrepit a shape as the rest of the furniture was a tall holotape player about the size of a desk. Nora turned on her toes as he pulled her around. She whimpered again when she saw what he was dragging her to. The light, painful pressure of his fingers was still present.

Suddenly his fingers pressed deeper, forcing her feet to quicken. She winced against the sharp increase of pain and he let go as she strode by him. She stumbled against the player, quickly feeling his palm run up her back. Nora shuddered under his touch, but before she could catch her footing, her upper body swung onto the surface and left her completely exposed again. She tried to budge but he put more weight on her. Heat rolled over her again as she felt her extremity being spread open a little. She peered back, a gasp about to leave her mouth. His fingers spread her slit and began to deftly work her lips and nub.

“Good thing I got rid of the carpet,” he said bemusedly. “You should see the trail you’re leaving, and I doubt it’s entirely me seeping out of you, hmm?”

Blood rushed to her face again right as he plunged his fingers into her sex. She did not have the air for the cry that left her. Cullen fucked her with two fingers, keeping one on her clit. The mess of spend and arousal that was steadily trickling out of her made penetrating her almost too easy. Her cry devolved into a mix of needy moans and whines. The coil in her belly tightened again, faster than before he stopped on the bed. She let her head fall forward beneath her drooping shoulders.

Nora couldn’t tell what, but his fingers were doing something inside her. Try as she might to concentrate, her mind was quickly spinning away from coherence. She didn’t know. She didn’t care. Every sensitive angle was activated and she promptly felt her knees start to buckle all at once.

“That’s it,” he said, putting more pressure on her back, nails digging in. “Just break. Let me see it. Fuck, if only you could see the shamble your cunt’s in right now.”

As if the noises his fingers made while they slipped inside weren’t enough, together with that image and his dexterity, she tipped over the edge. Even Nora’s elbows were giving out. She had to brace both palms flat on the player, her nails splintering the wood as she felt her legs tuck, feet lifting from the ground.

She tried crying out his name, but her breath caught deep in her throat. And then she came, the waves thundering through her body. The scream her orgasm tore out could’ve made the fort shake. Cullen grunted as she clamped around his fingers. It felt like she was going to break them.

Cullen managed to withdraw his digits from her folds and let her writhe as he stroked her clit. He kept her held in place, leaving her to tense and unfurl under the influence of her own rocketing pleasure. He flexed his fingers. The freedom hurt good. Thin ropes of their essence webbed between them and he couldn’t help but have a taste. It was sweet and a tad bitter, musky.

Finally, Nora’s limbs sagged flat while she caught her breath. Her chest heaved as she gazed back at him. Passed the intense bliss which glassed her blue eyes, she spied his cock first, still fully erect. His hand gently lifted from her back. Still shaking, she forced herself upright, turning to face the mechanic, though she still had to lean back on the stereo.

Cullen sucked the last of the slick from his fingers and closed the distance between them. He crept between her legs and drew his hands over her neck, reaching the nape and letting his fingers snake into her hair. With his lips, he muffled a moan from her. She threw her arms around his body as her head tilted back. A brief interlude brought them fresher air before Nora went to suck and nibble on his lower lip. Soon he broke. Bending at the knees, he went after the vein of her neck, painting her skin with yet more teeth marks and saliva.

The tip of his sex grazed her and she twitched, pushing him away a couple feet with her hand. “Cullen, if we’re going another round… I need, I need a minute,” she uttered.

She felt him nod against her skin. His hold and caresses softened a little before he pulled away, taking in a long breath as he looked her over again. She was still breathing deeply, half seated on the appliance. Essence still managed to trickle out of her. Nora felt a little run off the base of her slit and onto the wood below her. She took a dab and toyed with the slick in her fingers for a second before sampling it. Cullen watched her, his eyes lighting up as her tongue flicked out and tasted her fingertips.

“You said...you were from a vault?” she sighed, her breath steadying.

Cullen nodded. “Wanting a towel yet?” he asked. Nora waved his offer away.

“I still don’t see how you could possibly be pre-war then,” she commented, wanting to see how he’d answer. A tinge of curiosity returned to her tone, though she was already sure she figured it out.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking of how to explain. “Ever heard of cryostasis?”

 _There we go_. She nodded and took to her feet.

Cullen watched for her reaction, but her expression remained wistful.

“And that… doesn’t surprise you?”

“Cullen, I’ve seen a lot of things,” she chuckled, taking a step towards him. “A flying ship full of robots stuck on top of one of the tallest towers in the city, for one. Dived into enough Vaults to think that cryostasis isn’t the strangest of things Vault-Tec achieved.”

She got close enough to press their lips together, and felt his hand on her stomach, fingertips grazing over the stretch marks again.

“I’m not...going to bite if- if you you touch me,” she murmured, gently grasping his wrist and guiding his hand upwards. Cullen’s brow quirked.

“I grabbed your ass and you were packing heat. And that’s not a euphemism,” he replied. She smiled. “Then I got a hand under your bra and you pulled a knife on me. I’m just being cautious. God knows what you’ve got hidden on you. A razor behind the ear? Heel blades?” He squinted. “Wait, _do_ you have those?”

“No,” she said, with a soft laugh. “But I’ll let you know if I get them.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck as Cullen’s palm slid up her body and cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing her nipple. She kissed him, her lips parting to gasp at the touch of his rough fingers, and felt his other hand giving her the same treatment. His cock pressed against her, and Nora felt the urge to fuck him rising again.

Cullen had his back to the bed, so Nora took a step forward, hoping he'd mirror her movement. He did for several paces. Then she stopped when she estimated the frame was less than a foot behind his calves. Nora managed to plant a foot behind him without detection. Her arms tenderly followed the lean curves of his body, down to his stomach. There, she kept a hand on his front and walked her fingers around his torso so that she held him in partial side-hug.

Cullen was just about to ask what she was up to when her embrace suddenly tightened and trapped the air in his ribs. Nora twisted and caught his foot under her. He yelped in his descent while the mattress springs strained heavily against his impact as he landed on his back, arms out, eyes wide.

Before he could tell what just happened, Nora was bearing her weight on top of him again.

“You weren’t-”

She paused, her eyes catching something to her right, something by the headboard. Cullen watched her lean over, and reveal a pair of handcuffs.

Cullen's gaze dashed to the metal accessory he heard rattling. His pupils overwhelmed a hint of gold iris as they rested on the restraints. The cuffs weren't the play kind. They were real - no quick-release, not even the key was found.

"Oh, those?" His eyes shifted up to Nora's while he felt a renewed heat crawling up his neck and face. "Those were there when I got here. You were saying? Weren't I, weren't I what?"

The General looked back at him, and there was a gleam in her blue eyes that made his cock pulse expectantly. Of course he could have grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto her back. But she tugged on the cuffs and found that one was already secured around the headboard. Cullen felt her fingers slip around his left wrist, as if asking permission.

Too caught up in the heat of the moment to realise the cuffs’ key was missing, he let Nora move his hand to the bed frame without uttering a word of excitement or protest.Nora leaned down and kissed him roughly as his cock pressed against her mound, sliding a hand into his hair again. She tugged his hair back, forcing him to arch up, and with one smooth motion, she lifted and dropped down onto his cock. The mess of slick and cum still inside her dripped down his shaft as she placed his free hand on her breast and leaned down to nip his lip.

As she began to rock her hips on his, he could tell he’d need more strength to keep from exploding again so soon. Nora saw it on his face while pulling away, his brows tensing and eyes shutting tight. Rather than let it deter her, she ground harder, pulling choked groans from his throat. With all that, Nora couldn’t help but purr, a wide smile spreading over face. Cullen opened his eyes at the sound and noticed her glee.

“Fuck, you’re just trying to make me come now,” he growled, listening to noises their hips made, feeling the fluids reach the base of his balls.

“Maybe,” she panted, and her fingertips ran across his chest for a brief, gentle moment. Her nails immediately followed the trail, digging in deep and leaving red marks on his skin as she gave his hair another tug. “You’re looking like quite a mess now too.”

Cullen could only imagine - the smeared lipstick over his face and neck, together with marks of every kind from her teeth and lips. The friction between his back and the bed made him feel the scratches she left there, and now she tore into his front. Her slick dried in his beard and finally reached his other extremity. With the complete image in his mind, a satisfied chuckle left him. His hand left her breast as he raked his own nails down her front, reaching the apex of her rocking mound.

Nora gasped, tensing, and bit her lip, cupping his face briefly and tracing her fingers down his neck. She let her nails draw red scratches into his shoulders as she drove her hips down onto him. Her eyes closed, just for a moment. Then she was kissing him again, quickly abandoning his mouth to decorate his neck with bite marks.

Her walls gripped him at a different angle, and suddenly the man’s volume increased twofold. Nora found a weak point, and she decided immediately to abuse it. With no effort, she squeezed and found to her delight that the angle pushed into her sweet spot perfectly. She arched up, a loud cry leaving her as the friction fed that slow knot of tension growing in her core.

Her pleasure heightened at the handcuff rattling and straining against the bed as Cullen spat out a flurry of curses. She canted her hips harder and felt the fire inside begin to spill over again. Cullen tensed sharply under her as well, and she lost it when his free hand found her soaked nub. Then he cried her name and she knew she had him.

 _“Cullen!”_ filled the room, a repeated, half-gasped sound that grew louder as Nora’s body shivered, bucking furiously against him, her blue eyes finding his golden irises. They were as clouded with pleasure as hers were, and she watched him as they writhed together. God, in the most selfish ways she could think of, she _really_ hoped he was going to come and work for her. Fucking someone who worked for her wasn’t the _best_ idea, but…

The pressure of his fingers against her clit wiped her mind briefly, and as she felt herself climbing towards climax, her muscles tensed, sweat running down her back and belly. It had been warm from Cullen’s shower when they’d entered earlier, and the body heat from their coupling hadn’t done much to lower the temperature. Nora felt her skin prickle, her mouth falling open. English slipped out of her control, and as she came again, she realised that, hell, _words_ were failing her. She could do little more than cry out a few desperate, incoherent noises as the tension unravelled, as the mechanic under her arched upward and drove into her sex the deepest he could. Dimly, she felt him twitching, and then the sensation of liquid rushing out of her slit, down her thighs. He was still fucking her as they both worked their way through the haze of orgasm, and she worked herself into his strokes, shivering.

Only when the friction became too much, overstimulating instead of pleasurable, did she finally slow, placing her hand on his and carefully peeling it away from her mound. He was still hard, but she needed a breather, and she slipped off him, laying down at his side. She hoped he had clean sheets, because the mess dripping out of her had probably already ruined most of the cloth covering his mattresses.

Nora let herself cool off, running her fingertips up and down the man’s arm, her laboured breaths joining his. She was more than a little drowsy, and she tucked her head into his neck, her eyes closing.

“It’s going to be really awkward, leaving you the caps after this,” she mumbled.

“Always thought I'd do well as a gigolo,” he mused.

“That’s _not_ what I’m paying you for,” she muttered. Her lips pressed against his shoulder, and just as she slid her hand over his chest, her radio blared to life. A frustrated moan filled the room, and she sat up, glaring at the direction her belt had been thrown in. She leaned over the bed, pulling the belt up.

 _“General?”_ Preston’s voice asked. _“General, are you there?”_

“I’m here, Garvey,” she replied. “Everything all right?”

 _“Got some things you should probably look over,”_ Preston said. _“What’s the situation regarding the Co-op?”_

Nora looked down at the naked man beside her. “Developing,” she said vaguely. Cullen laughed.

 _“I see,”_ she heard him say. _“Graygarden’s had molerats digging into their plants. They tracked them to the disposal place. And there’s a pack of ghouls holed up in the Super Duper Mart near Starlight that’ve been giving the settlers trouble. Think you could take care of that, ma’am?”_

“I can do that,” she agreed. “I’ll be heading to Red Rocket once that’s done. Call me if you need me.”

_“Thanks, ma’am. Garvey out.”_

“Duty calls,” she sighed. “I knew what I signed up for, I _knew_ what I signed up for…”

She put her belt aside and slid off the bed.

“Never a moment of peace, huh?” he said.

“It’s a job that needs to be done,” she began, “but I wish they didn’t rely on me quite so much.”

She shakily walked over to her clothes and picked up her coat, pulling a tin of caps out of her pocket. She counted them, and then placed the tin on the mattress.

“I’ll give you 150 caps,” Nora said, “because you pulled a gun on me. You can have the other 150 if you want the job.”

“You _liked_ me pulling a gun on you,” Cullen pointed out. Nora’s brow quirked.

“Don’t be pedantic.”

“Fine,” he chuckled. “How do I get the job?”

“I’ll be at the Red Rocket near Sanctuary,” Nora told him. “If you want it, come find me there.”

“If I pull a gun on you when I get there, are you gonna knock it down to 75 caps?” he asked. She flushed, looking away. Cullen moved to sit up, and his wrist tugged on the cuff. "Uh, you know there's no key for this, right?"

"That is a problem, isn't it?" she agreed.  She picked her suit up and found a towel, wiping the mess of cum off of her folds. She had about 1500 vault suits left in boxes back at the Vault, so even if this one ended up filthy, she had enough spares to last her for years. She slipped the legs of her vault suit over her feet without looking his way. "You’re a smart guy, Cullen. I bet you can get out of that easy."

"Nora," he cautioned her. The beginning of a wide grin spread over the general's face. She began to pull the garment over her thighs, leaving her underwear on the floor. There were still a few wet patches on it from where they’d collided earlier. Nora kept her back to the mechanic as she dressed herself, and slipped her arms into the suit, the _111_ unfolding across her back and gleaming in the light.

“No way,” she heard him gasp, voice filled with disbelief. She pulled on her shoes, and laced them up, picking her coat up and pulling it over the golden letters.

Somehow she managed to cross the room without him launching a question at her. Before she reached the doorway, a thought occurred to her. She needed to get home.

Walking wasn’t what she had in mind.

Nora turned on her heel and found the pile of clothes Cullen discarded prior to their meeting. She began flipping his clothes over and rifling through the pockets.

“Nora,” he repeated.

She shot him a sideways glance and saw him sitting upright, rigid and staring at her. Her grin only grew.

Cullen wore a vault suit as well. She caught the faded yellow _111_ on the fabric as she reversed its pockets. Empty. His bandolier, belt, and pouches, empty - save for miscellaneous items he kept. She didn’t need to check the other items, notably a metal combat pauldron, road goggles, and a small scarf which seemed to be modeled after the old-world American flag. However, she did take the goggles.

Nora rose and looked around once more. Her gaze fell on a worn, brown leather duster hung up by the door.

“Ah,” she breathed, her heart skipping an excited beat.

“Nora, what the hell are you doing?”

Without a word she fished in the coat pockets. Her fingers felt the tips of large calibre bullets, .308 if she had to guess. Then she touched another kind of metal. It jingled as she lifted a small ring of keys into the air. She took a closer look at them and noticed the ‘ _Lone Wanderer’_ brand mark etched into the grip.

“It's been fun, Cullen, but I've wasted enough of your time,” she said jingling the keys in front of her. “Like I said. Sanctuary Hills Red Rocket. See you there.”

He only looked at her for a second longer, fighting off the prick of despair the noise gave him. As she turned away, he scanned whatever was in reach. There must have been a bobby pin somewhere, a paper clip - something. She started singing as she made her way through the halls.

Betty Hutton sounded very different when you were cuffed to your own headboard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen's not pleased by the bike theft.

The stolen bike had been leaned against a nearby pillar, beautifully clean. It didn’t look like it had been touched, but not three hours ago, Nora had been sitting on it, riding for the first time in 210 years and screaming in delight. She’d _never_ done that before the war, and it was risky to do so now - sound carried - but fuck, Nora didn’t care.

A few days later and with two settlements now back to normal, Nora had immediately ridden back to Red Rocket. Two minutes later, she was in her power armour, hefting the remains of the best looking Lone Wanderer up from Concord. It had been lightly stripped, but she could manage.

Nora finally had some free time, and placing down the bike, she put her armour away and began contemplating the husk of a vehicle in front of her. She knew what to do, every step to take. There wasn’t a set of keys to be found, but she did manage to hotwire it. For a moment, the junker struggled to start. The engine spat and coughed. There was a glimmer of hope which had Nora’s breath on edge as the bike sounded close to catching.

Then a sharp explosion sounded from the interiour and promptly drowned her garage in a thin cloud of exhaust fumes and soot. Nora coughed her way to the door control, realising too late that perhaps starting a 200 year old motorbike inside a closed off garage wasn’t the greatest idea.

As the garage door whooshed open and the black haze cleared from her sight, she noticed the sky quickly darkening with heavy, mournful clouds. Only a half hour ago had it been bright and blue - and completely clear. Wasteland weather was one thing she thought she’d never comprehend. She immediately moved Cullen’s bike inside, propping it up against the far wall at the back, behind where the counter had been before she’d had it taken out.

By the half-hour mark, humidity gripped Nora’s garage, forcing her to open what doors and windows she could without letting too much rain in. At the hour’s end, the exterior was black, an ear-shattering thunderstorm in full-swing, the worst in months. Every clap of thunder made her heart skip a beat as the General wiped some of the black mess off her face and hands. She unzipped her suit, peeling it down to her waist, and took a long drink of water. Leaning against the workbench, her hand rested on her stomach, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the thunder, her thighs pressing together.

And it wasn’t a radstorm either, so if she wanted to go out and _really_ get into it…

Fuck it. She could come back to her bike in a moment, and storms didn’t last forever.

She left the shutter half-open and slid underneath, the rain immediately soaking her hair and running down her neck. Within moments, her bra and suit were saturated, clinging to her body as she threw her head back and listened to the thunder rumble overhead. A gasp escaped her, immediately snuffed out by the storm, and she cried out in shock as the cold rain seeped into her underwear. She withstood it for a few moments more, revelling in the noise and heat. But it soon became too much, and, shivering, she ducked back underneath the shutter and into the close warmth of her garage. Once inside, she knelt, and began to unlace her boots, rapidly warming droplets running off her hair and down her skin. She made her way over to the red workbench, kicking off her shoes as she went, and began unpinning her hair. It fell wetly onto her back, and Nora ran a hand through it, squeezing some of the water out.

She could get a towel later, but she focused on peeling her suit down her legs, slapping it wetly onto the bench near her pistol. She reached up and unclipped her bra, putting it on the bench and feeling more droplets run down her body. Her panties stuck wetly to her skin as she pulled them off. It was hot enough that being naked didn’t bother her at all.

“ _Much_ better without your damn hat in the way,” said a familiar voice from behind her.

Nora spun, simultaneously grabbing her suit and the pistol. The suit draped over her body as she pointed her gun at the source of the voice. It had come from a dark corner of the room, and she made out a darkened figure. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating a man in a duster. Nora heard a sharp rip from the shadows. Suddenly illuminated by a match, the figure lit a cigarette he held between his lips. The soaked strands hanging over his face, coupled with the wet beard and smug grin took her by surprise.

“Cullen?” she said softly.

“Mhm. And now it’s your turn, isn’t it?” he commented. “Found your gun the minute I snuck in... but I left it loaded. Wanted to see what you’d do. But hell, I didn’t think you’d get all wet so fast.”

He had to speak up, but as thunder crashed ahead of them, Nora let out a tiny gasp, fingers clenching tighter onto the suit. Cullen took a quick draw and blew the smoke free, tilting his head inquisitively.

“I might be prodding,” he began, twirling the smoke in his fingers, “but either you’re afraid of thunderstorms… or judging by the fact that you went out and just twitched like that…”

“I- that’s not- you know smoking is bad for you?” she managed, putting her gun down on the bench. She pushed her hair out of her face, clutching the sodden Vault suit tighter to her chest. Cullen was in the way of the door, and now that she was naked, going back outside to get into her house was out of the question. He simply grinned again, and Nora was reminded of how much she loved and hated it.

“So is getting caught in this shit to meet a prospective employer,” he pointed out, taking another puff he seemed to need for therapeutic reasons. “And I haven’t had to walk anywhere in months. That was fucking dreadful.”

“Don’t be such a baby,” she muttered, watching a smirk creep over his face.

“How about we take a step outside again and see which one of us quivers under the rain and lightning? It’s dark. No one’ll see.”

“Is...is that...are you... _threatening_ me?” she demanded, clutching her suit tighter.

His lips took on a twisted edge. “You _did_ steal my fucking bike. Speaking of which, where the hell is it?”

“If I tell you, you can’t take me outside. Promise?”

Cullen had to look away, his smile broadening as he twirled the cigarette again. He returned her gaze and took one last drag, letting the butt fall under his boot. He had arrived with a different idea of what he was going to do. The rage he bottled up subsided as he watched her strip and, not much to his surprise, he now fought a conflicting warmth growing in his loins.

“You better put your beautiful fucking boots back on,” he growled, readying himself to spring towards her.

“W-what?” she stammered. “Why?”

Cullen paused, and let her stew for a moment as another clap of thunder rolled overhead. If he did it, he had no intention of controlling his hands. And he was far too worked up to care if that happened.

“Because I said so,” he replied. Her brow furrowed just a little. It looked quite cute.

“Or what?” she asked. Cullen bristled. Here he was trying to restrain himself and she was being _challenging_.

“Don’t make me ask you politely,” he warned, pushing off the chair and taking a few steps towards her. The garage wasn’t huge, and she backed herself against the workbench as he approached.

“Why not?” she whispered. Cullen’s hand reached up and gripped the Vault suit, tugging it out of her hands. She yielded it easily, her lips parting.

Why? She knew why. Cullen saw it but he'd be damned if she heard him say it. He plucked her boots from the floor and closed the distance between them. His breath caught, his cock straining against his suit as he knelt, his fingers grasping her calf and lifting her leg up. Nora fell against the workbench, and then she steadied herself, reaching out to help him. He laced her up, his mouth finding her inner thigh. Nora tensed, biting her lip as his beard scratched against the sensitive skin. His fingertips skimmed her mound, down her other leg, and soon his lips followed the trail. He felt her leaning down, and soon the black leather was slipping up her other leg. He slid his hands up her thighs, and grasped her ass, pulling her towards him. His mouth found her clit and sucked gently. Nora bucked, crying out in surprise at the sudden stimulation. He let her grind against his mouth for a few moments, then kissed her mound and stood.

Nora’s face was flushed, and Cullen grinned at her as he slid his arm beneath her legs and picked her up.

“Cullen!” she protested, wrapping her arms around him despite his soaking wet clothes.

“You didn’t tell me where my bike is,” he pointed out as he stepped through the door leading outside.

They were immediately caught in the downpour, and Nora felt the cold water hitting her skin. She clung to Cullen, too wet to care about his sodden state. Thunder crashed overhead, and she gasped, clenching tightly to him.

“Cullen!” she yelled, her hair quickly slipping down over her eyes. She pushed it away with one hand.

“Bike!” he reminded her, standing nonchalantly in the rain.

“It’s inside!” she called, and tried to get down, to leave his arms. Cullen’s grip tightened on her, and he kept her pinned to him despite the slick rain covering her.

“Where?”

“Main room!”

She raised a leg to cover her ass, glaring at the darkness behind him. _God_ , she could kill him right now. Sanctuary was literally a hundred feet away, and here he was, holding her up naked in the rain. She pushed off his shoulders, wriggling backwards as she tried to get out of his arms. This time, she succeeded, dropping to her feet on the ground. Cullen laughed until her fist hit his stomach, and then he was staggering back as the General ran into the fuel station.

Nora almost slid across the floor as she headed into her office, and it wasn’t long before she heard Cullen’s wet footsteps behind her. There was a short ‘huh’ as he no doubt spotted the bike.

“If there’s any damage, I swear to god, Nora,” he warned.

“There isn’t,” she assured him. “And if there had been, I’d-”

More thunder roared overhead. Nora paused, her eyes closing.

“I’d have fixed it,” she continued.

Cullen’s steps picked up again and soon he showed at the door to her office. He paused at the threshold and grabbed the doorframe, wiping locks of wet hair from his forehead. He looked her over again, his eyes finding their way back to her face. That grin came and went. Getting hit in the gut gave him the impression his advance wasn’t well received.

“If there’s nothing wrong with it, I can just go,” he said calmly. Nora looked at him, surprised.

“You...came all this way to talk about a job,” she reminded him.

He squeezed the frame, deflecting her gaze. “I did,” he sighed, though it sounded more like a reminder to himself. “Then I was going to take my fucking bike and be on my merry way… then, well.”

“You still...wanting to do that?” she asked.

Cullen shifted uneasily, trying to stifle the mix of emotion writhing inside him. “Just, uh, need the terms.”

“Right now?” she said softly. She folded her arms, leaning against the wall.

“Did you... have any other plans?” he asked, letting his eyes fall over her body again. She glistened slightly under the overhead lighting. Nora shrugged, biting back a smile and looking away. If her face hadn’t been flushed before, it was now.

Cullen detached from the doorframe and crossed the floor, pulling the scarf from his neck and letting it whack onto the ground. Their lips hadn’t met before his arms were under her legs as he lifted her to the wall with a dull _thud_. Nora immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, nipping his lower lip gently. Her legs wrapped around his waist and held tightly, her hands tangling into his hair. She didn’t pull, not this time. A moment later her hand dropped to the zip of his suit and began hurriedly pulling it down.

Nora clung to his waist as he shrugged his duster off his shoulders. Once everything was loose, held on by her legs, she let his weight press her further into the wall as she let his clothes drop. Her hands slid beneath his suit and immediately dragged it off his shoulders, peeling it down his arms. It clung to his skin tighter than she was, and when it reached his waist, she stopped.

Reluctantly, she let him go, and Cullen hurriedly struggled out of his suit, boots getting kicked across the floor. There was nothing beneath the cobalt fabric except skin, and Nora let him lift her up again, pinning her to the back wall of Red Rocket, another shudder going through her as the thunder rumbled.

“Sorry for punching you,” she panted, as his lips found her neck.

He chuckled softly against her skin. “Been shot for less,” he breathed, descending to her collarbone and leaving a trail of fresh marks. Nora tilted her head, pushing her wet hair away from her chest as she moaned softly. The scratch of beard against the skin wasn’t as rough now that both of them were soaked to the bone, but it still felt _good_.

“Never stolen a bike, though,” he reminded her, growling in her ear.

Suddenly Nora felt his hands grip her wrists tightly before he let her fall to her feet, her hands above her head and against the wall. Her heart skipped as she dropped, and another burst of warmth flooded her at the firm grip around her wrists. She caught a flash of his eyes again before he returned to her neck. The pressure of his teeth caught her breath. The spike of pain and surprise was gone as quick as it came. Then he followed through with brief tender kisses.

He slid Nora’s wrists down the wall until they were at her side, pinning them there as Cullen nudged her head over and gave the same treatment to the other side of her neck. Once satisfied with the noises he pulled from her throat, he stopped and stood taller. Nora caught sight of the marks she left him days earlier. They looked like they were going to be there for a while.

“I hope you see no matter how many times I walk in on you naked, I’m still going to be pissed about that,” he whispered.

“Wasn’t...intentionally...flashing you,” she stammered, quickly feeling his weight bare down on her wrists. She found her legs bending against the pressure, pushing her down, and it didn’t take long for her to be on her knees, the boot leather cushioning her against the cold tiles of the floor.

Nora was torn between looking up at him and keeping her eyes down, because if she kept her head level, she was going to be looking at- well, if her face hadn’t been flushed already, this would’ve made it glow.

“Call it payback for throwing a hat over my face.”

“You pulled a gun-”

Not letting her finish, Cullen sliding a thumb in her mouth and tugged lightly against the inside of her cheek. “The whole bike theft thing overrules the gun, don’t you think?” he asked smugly, slipping his thumb against her tongue, just enough to stop her from talking. Nora instinctively let her lips close and suck on the sudden intrusion.

Cullen’s sharp gasp filled the room above the low rumbles of thunder, and Nora watched his cock twitch, flushed and erect against her cheek. Her eyes darted to it, and she sucked on his thumb again as she looked up at him. He was looking away, his mouth partially open. Words formed on the tip of his tongue but he lost them as he returned her gaze. Seeing her wide blue eyes only deflected his gaze again.

“Goddammit,” he muttered before raising her hands above her head and pressing them against the wall. Her mouth free, a little lipstick stained around his thumb, Nora’s lips immediately found his tip and slipped around it. He wasted no time pushing a few inches inside, groaning as her heat enveloped him. She dimly recalled doing this only a few days ago, and part of her wished she’d carried on then. But…

This was acceptable too.

Cullen pulled her hands close, gently rocking into her at first. The General moaned, her lips tight around his cock as he tried to keep his pace even, despite the fact that _yes_ , there was still a small fire of pent-up anger in him. He _did_ want to let her have it, at least until she slid her head forward and took in a little more before retreating, the tip of her tongue playing with the underside of his head. There wasn’t much space behind her, and she made sure not to let her head hit the wall.

She caught a flash of gold in his eyes and took in a little more, constantly teasing the head as he pulled away. Deciding to try his luck, Cullen canted a further, forcing an extra couple inches into Nora’s mouth. Her jaw tightened, not enough to be painful, but enough that he felt a brief flash of teeth against his cock. It was a warning he chose to heed.

The extra length she took in tightened the coil in his abdomen. Slowly, he let his hands fall from her wrists and lace into her dark hair as he bent against the wall. Nora paused to let him grasp her hair. He’d learned from last time. She let one hand grasp his cock, the other gripping his hip, digging her nails in and dragging them slowly down his thigh as she jerked her clasped hand back and forth. She looked up at him once more, her eyes bright and blue and wide. The more she looked at him that way, the harder it was for him to stay angry and he hated it.

The touch of her hand had brought him suddenly towards the edge. He had wanted to make this last. Groaning, he deflected her gaze once more, the fire rising inside him. Nora looked back at his groin, slipping her left hand up his thigh and teasing a few fingernails over his ass. He wasn’t expecting her scratch and nearly buckled over, tightening his grip in her hair. His reaction pushed her to suck harder until he choked on his breath. Nora felt his body tense, fighting against her fingers and tongue. It just made her tighten her grip, and moan a little.

Very quickly his thrusts became erratic and rough, forcing his way down her throat as his cries caught in his mouth. Nora felt him twitch, and then the thick, salty taste of him filled her mouth as he shivered, panting. Just as fast as he came, his hands fell from her hair. He stumbled back a couple steps, his breath short and eyes wide. The woman on her knees looked a little red in the face, wiping her mouth clean as she swallowed. Her eyes found him again, watching him. She’d done this before, _so_ many times, she was used to that sensation and she simply looked interested, alert and attentive.

“Stop...looking at me like that,” Cullen panted. “I’m...trying to be mad at you.”

Nora laughed softly, leaning forward to kiss his stomach, little stains of lipstick trailing up his wet skin as she slowly stood and leaned in towards him. He pulled her hips to his, kissing her deeply. As they parted, his eyes found her desk. Neat stacks of folders sat on its surface. Pulling Nora closer to the desk, he violently brushed it clear of papers before she had any chance to protest.

“Hope those weren’t important,” he poked. His arms tightened around her, quickly dropping her on the cold metal.

“Would you care?” she retorted, her voice wavering as she watched him lower himself.

“Not unless you paid me to,” he grumbled, his voice vibrating against her skin as his lips made their way up her inner thigh, closer to her folds. Nora let out a soft noise at the gentle touches. They sent light jolts of pleasure as he nibbled and sucked, nearing closer, then pulling away. He pushed her legs apart further while she settled on the desk. Nora bit her lip, looking down at the man between her thighs. She was finding it difficult to think. The storm alone had flustered her. Seeing Cullen’s golden gaze watching her, feeling the warm grip on her skin…

Finally his mouth hovered in front of her waiting slit. Nora could feel his breath on her, but he retreated, taking his fingers and lips further down her legs.

“Cullen,” she whispered. Her eyes met his again and she could see what he wanted her to say. He wanted her to ask, _beg_ for it. He dug his nails in her flesh, closing in on her core again. She groaned, leaning her back against the wall, lifting her thigh to give him better access. Then his tongue flicked out and grazed her clit, just enough to earn him a sharp gasp before he pulled away again.

“Fuck,” she moaned. She knew immediately what he was about to do. As another roar of thunder echoed overhead, she wasn’t sure if she could take it. “Cullen...please…”

Quicker, he neared her again, tasting her briefly before taking his mouth away. “Please… _what?_ ”

“Please don’t stop,” she panted. Except he took it as a cue to continue teasing her, sneaking narrow laps around her opening. Nora’s groan was louder this time, her hand slipping into his hair. He kissed her slit gently, and felt her arch above him, another soft noise leaving her.

“All you gotta do is say the right words,” he purred, wrapping his hands over her thighs and pulling her closer. “And you’ll get what you want.”

“I…” she stammered, tensing. “I...can’t...please...just…”

His tongue grazed her her nub again, circling for only a second. “Waiting…” he reminded her. Nora bit her lip, trying to form the words.

“I’m... _shy_ ,” she protested, as if that mattered. _“Cullen.”_

It didn’t matter how long it took. He was going to pull the words from her throat. She could have asked for a ride back from Fort Hagen instead of stealing his bike. There was no way he was going to just give her what she wanted if she couldn’t ask for it.

Another gasped ‘please’ filled the air, Nora trying desperately to force the right words out of her mouth. Her throat locked around them, allowing her to do little more than moan pathetically. A rebellious spark said that if she pulled his hair, she could take control of this, but the thunder and her mind both told it that Cullen would get revenge the moment he broke out of her grip. The only thing working in her favour was that he grew impatient.

“‘Cullen, eat my wet cunt.’ That’s all you have to say,” he growled, tracing the length of her lips with his tongue once more.

“Fuck, _no_ ,” she gasped firmly. “I…”

More thunder. She shivered, her eyes closing briefly.

“ _Please_ ...will you...just...make...just...get me off?” she managed. “ _Please_.”

His growling rumbled against her folds as he teased her opening again. Nora bit back a moan, hoping the storm wouldn’t pull it out of her. “I want to hear you say the words.”

“Please...make me come,” she requested. There was no way in hell she was taking orders from him, no matter how good this felt. He dug his nails into her thighs, sucking hard on her skin and leaving a mark. A needy groan broke from her lips

“Not until I hear what I want. I’ve got all day,” he reminded her. She let out a frustrated noise, her head pressing against the wall.

“Y-you’re an _asshole_ ,” she stammered, the insult blunted by the soft whine that left her only moments later. His brows quirked in agreement as he moved a finger, circling close to her core. The sensation sent a shiver through her body.

“I wonder,” he mused, “how long you’ll have before your radio goes off again…”

“God knows,” she breathed. “I won’t...I’m not...taking orders.”

All at once his movements stopped, his finger halted on her mound just over her nub, his mouth frozen outside her slit, ready to lap. He caught her eye, a hint of feigned disappointed in his gold irises. Then he stood, looking at her for a longing moment, then he turned to the door.

“Suit yourself, _General_ ,” he shrugged.

“God, you just...you’re going to…”

She growled, and then she said it to him in her mother tongue. His pace didn’t slow, but he stopped just before disappearing around the corner, grinning smugly.

_Afraid the patrols will overhear their general’s lustrous begging?_

He tried his luck, asking again but with the only other language he had a firm grasp on. He whispered the words she should say in Spanish loud enough for her to hear over the rain and low rumble outside. Nora slid down shakily off the desk, and walked over to him. Her hands slid around the back of his neck and she leaned up, whispering it in his ear, her lips disclosing her desire in his tongue before pressing a gentle kiss to his neck.

His eyes closed to listen, her voice gently rolling over the words without any accent or mispronunciation. A sly, satisfied grin spread over him as his arms wrapped around her waist.

“See? Wasn’t so hard,” he sighed, opening his eyes.

Not a second later, he picked her up and returned her to the desk twice as fast. She blushed, holding onto him tightly. His hands found their previous spot around her thighs as he knelt, applying quick kisses and love bites down her neck and body until he reached her mound. He paused before her, shooting her a golden glance teeming with excitement and greed.

Cullen flicked his tongue to the base of her slit, broadly stroking upward. Pressing just enough force into his stroke, his tongue briefly penetrated her before slipping back out and reaching her clit. He did it all quickly, sending a spike of ecstasy up her core. Nora moaned loudly, watching him lift his head for a second before going back down, her slick already seeped into his beard.

“ _Finally_ ,” he muttered, tracing the inside of her folds with his tongue, gripping her tightly to his head. Her taste made his cock throb, and it was almost as though that brief admission had loosened her flustered shyness. The room filled with loud cursing as she got closer, her pleas for more all in a foreign tongue that got more explicit as his mouth dragged her towards an orgasm.

When Cullen pulled away again, she decided she’d had enough of his teasing. It was worth a try to get what she wanted. Her fingers slowly formed a loose fist in his hair as she tried pulling his head closer to her centre. It had worked well last time. A moan slipped passed her lips when instead he moved away, noticing the tension in his hair. He glared and stopped entirely, preempting her intention. As he stood, his hands unlaced hers from his hair and pinned them to the wall. He leaned in close enough for her to feel the tip of his cock pressing into her.

“If you think you’re getting off anytime soon,” he whispered, the scent of her essence on his breath, “you’re wrong.”

She couldn’t stop the gasp that left her as he pinned her to the wall. Both his promise and his hands on her wrists did nothing to quell to arousal running through her, and Nora whined, wanting to lean forward and kiss him. Before she could, he disengaged, turning several steps back and picking up his scarf. It still dripped profusely with rain as he neared her again. Catching a vengeful glint in his eyes, she knew what he was going to do with it.

“It’s soaking wet!” she protested.

“Yeah, you match,” he drawled, grabbing both her wrists with one hand and lifting them back above her head.

He had not begun tying the knot before she could feel the cold water trickling down her arms, over her shoulders and down her back. The tightening fabric poured a short gush rushing down her body. Nora whimpered, feeling the cold water dribble over her belly and then with a sharp buck of her hips, the water was running between her thighs, the cold sending a shudder down her spine.

It made her notice Cullen’s warm fingers suddenly slip inside her, his other hand pinning her back to the wall. A long moan escaped her, her thighs tensing as he slid them into the last joint, her walls twitching around him after the unfulfilled climax he’d taken from her. He drove his fingers back and forth slowly, careful not to give her too much stimulation. The longer he dragged her on, the easier it was becoming to tell how close she came to orgasm - and he was going to savour every minute.

“Cullen,” Nora gasped, her thighs parted widely. He contemplated her invitation for a moment as he teased the rougher patches of her walls. Her lips parted widely, her brows creasing.

“That’s not going to get you anywhere, sweetheart,” he purred. “Not today.”

He applied more pressure to her sweet spots and listened to her devolve into that foreign tongue again. Spanish seemed to have been momentarily forgotten. Her legs trembled and closed involuntarily, the coil about to burst inside her. Then suddenly she felt empty, Cullen’s fingers retreated, and Nora called him something that he would have known to be unsavoury had he spoken the language.

She winced, tightening and trying to force herself over the edge to no effect. Wind passed her ears for a moment. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself looking at where they used to be. Cullen had her in the air, lifted against the wall. She felt his cock beginning to part her lower lips. His hands supported her rear, squeezing tightly.

“If I’m counting right: that’s four for you, and three for me. Stop thinking you’re coming today. _You’re not,_ ” he muttered into her neck, and immediately felt her shiver at the threat, her bound hands falling over the back of his neck.

Cullen wanted to slip in slowly, but knew everything he gave her would bring her closer. He didn’t allow her the satisfaction. He wouldn’t. She moaned in frustration, bucking her hips to try and force him in deeper. His tip passed her threshold, and upon feeling her drip with want, quickly buried himself inside her. The sudden invasion ripped a cry from her throat and washed heat throughout her body, sending her into a daze.

“Fuck,” she breathed, wrapping her thighs around his waist and rocking her hips gently.

Though he released a caught breath as her burning warmth gripped him, he had no intention of going gently. He pulled out swiftly until the tip of his length reached her opening, then drove back in, filling the room with moans and the wet sounds of their fucking. Nora flexed her wrists, wanting to hold him, to pull his mouth to hers, but with her arms pinned like this, she could do little more than feel the scarf squeeze out more drops of cold water that ran down her skin.

“Feeling a little neglected,” she admitted between pants. His expression didn’t waver.

“You’re supposed to,” he said, breathing slowly. “Lucky for you, I take requests.”

“Just kiss me, you fucking tease,” she whispered.

He leaned closer after a hard thrust, grinning as their lips locked. He remained seated inside her, and Nora didn’t care. She nipped his lip, her mouth roughly against his, and no matter how annoyed she felt about the damn teasing, she seemed eager to kiss him. Despite Cullen’s hips not moving an inch as she did so, she moaned softly. It pushed him to suck on her lip, nibbling before pulling away.

“Better?” he panted.

“More?” she asked, her voice husky. His eyes rolled, but he complied, grinning before they reconnected. Her thighs pulled tighter, his body flush against hers. She held tightly, nipping his lip before withdrawing and grinding sharply against him. The wiry blond hairs covering his chest teased the sensitive peaks of her breasts as she did so, and Nora let out a soft, pleased noise. She bit her lip as they parted again.

Cullen let his mouth rest on her neck for a moment, teasing her skin with his teeth. He resumed canting into her, fast and hard. The fire began pooling in his stomach and Nora pushed his head aside, her lips finding his neck and beginning to kiss slowly. It didn’t take long for her teeth to give him fresh marks over the old ones. Nora could feel a slow coil of pressure between her thighs, and whilst part of her hoped Cullen wouldn’t deny her this time, the thought of him pulling out and forcing her hips to stop was sending conflicted shivers of arousal down her spine.

Whatever she hoped, she knew it didn’t concern him then. His panting evolved into low groaning, his arms starting to shake as his thrusts began to lose rhythm. Nora’s legs pulled tight, anchoring him to her body. He tried hilting his hips a few more times, but it ended in a scream. His weight pressed her into wall and just as she felt close to being crushed, she felt his cock twitch inside her, coating her walls with thick spurts of cum.

She clenched down tight on him, purposefully squeezing him and pulling a moan from him as her body twitched, herself only moments from release as she felt him roughly fuck her through his orgasm. He felt her clenching and forced himself from her slit, scrapping at the last of his remaining strength to keep her on the wall. Nora groaned in frustration.

“Nice… try,” he teased, his chest rising and falling lightly against her breasts.

“Fuck you,” she panted, and then she paused, her eyes narrowing. A sound was coming through from the other room. It came again, and Nora realised with a start that her radio was going. “Okay, no games. Put me down. I’ve got General important shit I need to see to quickly.”

Cullen grumbled, leaving one more bite mark below her collarbone before letting her down. Nora ignored the ache and dribbling seed between her thighs, and wandered, a little shakily, out of the office and into the garage, untying her wrists as she went. Her radio blared again as she approached.

 _“General?”_ Sturges asked. _“Come in, General. Got some urgent shit to tell you.”_

She picked up the receiver. “I’m hearing you, Sturges. What’s the problem.”

 _“The storm’s caused a little upset, ma’am,”_ the mechanic told her. _“If you know what I mean.”_

Nora’s eyes closed briefly. Oh _god_. Now of all times.

“Is there any way you or one of the Longs could deal with that?” she asked. “I’m… a little indisposed right now.”

_“Sure. We’ll try our best. I’ll call if we’re not successful.”_

“I appreciate it,” she told him. “Thankyou, Sturges.”

Nora put down the receiver and turned to see Cullen stumbling into the garage. He wiped a set of sweat soaked strands from his forehead. “I’m guessing the ‘upset,’ he’s talking about isn’t you,” he smirked.

“Why do you ask?”

Before he responded, thunder rolled through the gas station. Watching Nora shiver gently at the sound, Cullen shook his head. “That’s why, smartass.”

Her brow quirked. “Storms cause damage, Cullen,” she reminded him.

“And arousal, apparently.” He crossed his arms. “My question is: why’d you take the scarf off your wrists if you could’ve _easily_ responded to the call bound?”

“What if I’d had to immediately run to deal with a problem?” she pointed out.

He laughed, closing the distance between them. The first thing he reached for after stealing a quick kiss was the scarf she clutched in her hand. He gently grabbed her other wrist and pushed them both behind her back, their fronts pressed together.

“That would be a sight to see,” he said, a breath away. Her blue eyes rested on his lips as she closed the last inch. They met and filled the garage with soft, pleasant moans. She bit her lip as she felt the wet cloth tighten, pulling her shoulder blades together.

“You just...want to see...me...naked in the...in the rain,” she panted, pulling back. Warm dribbles of cum slipped out of her and began to trail down her thighs.

Cullen smirked, his eyes rolling. Of course he did, but that would have to wait. He clicked his tongue and took hold of her binds, forcibly turning her around to face the workbench. Nora didn’t even try to fight him as he did so, simply relaxing against him briefly to stop herself from falling. Before giving her a light shove, he snuck a peck below her ear.

“You’re unbelievable,” he muttered, watching her reach the workbench and use the momentum to bend forward.

“How so?” she asked, a tiny grin tugging at her lips.

“I think we both know how,” he said, stepping behind her and sliding a heavy hand over her ass.

It was too easy to notice. Keep up the guise of innocence and yet still want all these things. He knew she would never admit it. It was hard enough to get her to ask him about eating her out.

“I don’t… think I do.” She felt his fingers play inside her lips, nearly trapping her breath.

Suddenly, they plunged into her. Nora caught a cry before it escaped. His fingers immediately went for her sweet spots and the heat inside her rose sharply. Then he pulled out, forcing her to groan instinctively. She called him something unsavoury in Spanish and he smirked, his mouth pressing against her neck.

“Sweet talking me won’t make you come, either,” he whispered, resting his other palm on her rear. With both hands, he spread her wider. Nora knew what was coming next as she felt the tip of his cock at her opening again. She braced for a hard thrust, holding her breath. Instead, he parted her slowly, trying to rip the moan from her mouth. He got it, but she fought him the whole way, biting down on her lip with each inch he pressed into her. It was only when he lazily slid against a sensitive patch that she finally released that breath and softly called his name.

Nora hadn’t noticed his hands grabbing her wrists until he pulled out. The second thrust wasn’t gentle. Pulling on her wrists and driving forward, Cullen buried himself inside her walls instantly. She had no time to bite back her sudden cry of surprise, her body tensing up. He retreated just as quick with the jolt of ecstasy he sent through her body.

“You know, Nora, I can't believe you called me selfish,” he murmured, and kissed her neck again. “That really hurt my feelings.” He pressed into her again, producing the same results as before.

“S-stop being so shy with the...the touching,” she breathed. “I...don’t usually have to _ask_ that.”

Just as she finished, Cullen ran a finger down her side, from below her arm to the bottom of her hip. Digging a nail in throughout the centre sent a shiver down Nora’s spine.

“I’ll assume you’re talking about the easy targets,” he said, slowly pulling out and thrusting again, hand still on her restraint. “Now why would I go for those when doing that has such a better reaction?” He raked a nail down her other side.

“You... _ahh_...have two hands,” she managed. Then his hands squeezed her hips roughly, his pace picking up.

“And I’m using them, aren’t I?” he growled. Nora ground roughly against him, squeezing his cock tightly with her walls as she fucked him. Another cry left her, his name stammered out between thrusts. “And again… _mmm…_ I take requests. Unfortunately… you’ve exhausted the Spanish option.”

Nora felt her cheeks burn, _somehow_ , at the suggestive tone his voice took on. _Fuck_ . He’d figured _that_ out pretty quickly. Oh, god, she’d always hated asking for things like this but…

“Please,” she managed, “would you just...ugh…”

She clenched her fists, pausing to try and clear her mind, but he didn’t give her a moment’s reprieve.

“Please...just...put your hands...on…”

She was trying to force the words out. It wasn’t discomfort so much as just hesitance. Nothing about them sounded attractive to her.

“‘Cullen, grab my tits,’” she heard him say. She could almost feel the smile spreading across his damn face. “That’s it. I’m not, _fucking_ , unreasonable.”

“No...but you’re an _asshole_ ,” she pointed out, laughing breathlessly. He let go of her wrists and planted a hand on her lower back, holding her harder against the workbench. The new angle hit the right spot as Nora felt like she was about to burst. Sensing her heightened tension, Cullen stopped altogether.

“You don’t seem to mind,” he chuckled with her.

She bit her lip, her eyes squeezing shut, and cocked her leg up. “I have...strange taste,” she told him. “Cullen...please…”

And normally, he does different things to people who try to steal his shit. “‘Please,’ what?” he asked, immobile, still holding her down. “Waiting here.”

“Fuck me,” she blurted out, and if her hands were untied she would have clapped them over her mouth like she’d sworn in front of her mother.

“ _Finally,_ ” he cried, immediately starting a rough rhythm. “Some direction from the _General!_ ”

“Y-you think…” She had to take a few moments to pause again, groaning loudly at the harsh pace he set. “...t-this is...how I...talk to _Preston_?”

“God, I hope not,” he panted, no longer caring to control himself. Preston wasn’t who he wanted to be thinking about at all. _Absolutely. Not._

Nora just laughed, the sound tailing off into sharp little gasps as she angled her hips against his, hoping to catch that spot on her walls once more. Cullen dug his nails in, leaving bright red scratch marks down the short length to her ass. Retaking hold of her binds with the other hand, he bucked harder. The workbench had become a mess of sweat, seed, and slick.

Thunder rolled overhead, and a moment later, the radio blared once more. Nora instinctively moved to pick it up and found her hands tied.

“Cullen,” she managed, “I’m going to...need you to pick that up for me.”

Their hips grinding slower, he let the receiver go off for a few more seconds. Nora turned what little she could and he swore he saw a furious glint in her eyes. He conceded and threw his arms, reacher for the radio by Nora’s head. His movement hit another sensitive spot and she whimpered lightly.

 _“Hey, General,”_ Sturges’ voice came again. _“Sorry, ma’am, but, we couldn’t settle the problem.”_

Nora sighed, nodding to Cullen to hold down the transmitter. “I am going to make your life hell,” she promised him.

“You can try,” he whispered.

“Sorry about that. Little busy right now.” She managed to keep most of the breathlessness out of her voice as she spoke, withstanding a light thrust. “Thank you for being there, Sturges. I appreciate it. I promise, I’ll be there within the hour.”

Cullen let go of the transmitter.

_“Appreciate it, ma’am. We’re running out of options here. Marcy’s done all she can.”_

“I know.” She swallowed, tempted to squeeze down on the man buried in her. “Be home soon-”

She felt his other hand suddenly encircle a breast and grab hold tightly. Her breath caught, and as his fingers played with her nipple, she moaned softly.

“Oh my god,” she muttered. “Life. Hell.”

 _“M-ma’am?”_ she heard Sturges ask, surprised.

“Busy,” she finally said.

_“Yes ma’am. Sturges out.”_

Cullen put the radio down and didn’t waste a second longer, shoving Nora back onto the workbench and listening to her gasp in surprise, the metal cold against her skin. She immediately pressed back, her ass pushing into his hips as she anticipated the pace he’d set.

“Oh, yeah. Please, tell me,” he panted, not holding himself back. “Tell me… tell me how you’ll ruin me. Gonna… _shit..._ steal my bike again?!”

“Might...appropriate it,” she taunted. “For...the cause.”

“So the truth… comes out!” He held her down harder, driving into her cunt as hard as his hips would go. “Knew you were just a bitch... with a... nice fucking hat!”

“You _hate_ the hat,” she managed, her leg cocked up around his thigh, keeping him pressed against her as she felt her orgasm rising. Nora knew, she _knew_ , that Cullen was not going to let that happen, but as the cold metal rubbed against her slick skin, the sensitive tip of her breast rubbing against his rough palm, she just enjoyed the sensation of being pinned down and _fucked_ like this. It had been so long…

“Surprise,” he grunted, pressing more of his weight against her as he tipped over the edge, the fire inside ready to explode. “I lied!”

“Fuck _you_ ,” she spat, squeezing him hard with her inner muscles. She arched against him, revelling in the contact of bare skin against her own, wet as they both were, a mess of their own fluids once again. It didn’t matter that Cullen wasn’t going to get her off. There was a persistent ache of need between her legs, sure, but...she liked the feeling of him on top of her, and as she kept bucking her hips as best she could with his weight on her, she moaned his name again.

He almost bore his entire weight down on her hips as he seated himself in her, his cock twitching. Cullen’s choked groans reverberated inside the garage as he came, and Nora bit her lip, pressing against him with a moan. She would never get tired of that feeling. She had a desperate need to get off, slip a hand under herself without him catching her, but there was no way, no way to take advantage of him filling her up.

“I think I just did,” he breathed, going somewhat limp on top and inside her. “That should do for another couple centuries.”

There was no room for her to wriggle enough to get any decent stimulation, and she lay beneath him, panting.

“I...you’ll...come after me in 3 days, or less,” she predicted. “And...I’m going to pull...your hair until you...start _begging._ ”

Cullen smiled broadly as he pushed himself from the workbench. They both groaned when his cock slipped out of her. Thick dribbles of slick and spend began running out of her once more, and Nora cursed, tugging on her bindings.

“Hands,” she reminded him. “Going to...need them.”

“Yeah, you will,” he teased, moving to pull the knot loose. Surprisingly, the scarf had dried a considerable amount. She pulled her hands free and put the flag down on her bench, rubbing her wrists as she turned to look at him. There were only seconds between her soothing the marks, and her throwing her arms around his neck, kissing him furiously. Sweet pain graced her shoulders’ release.

Cullen returned her embrace eagerly, carding his fingers through her hair and slipping an arm around her waist, pulling her flush to him. Momentarily, they broke for air, but went back into each other. Nora slipped a hand between them as they kissed, her teeth nipping at his lip. Her fingers slid over her mound, stroking her clit, and her hand gripped his hair. It wasn’t hard enough to convince him to bend. She was anchoring herself as she worked herself with her fingertips, desperate to relieve the need between her legs.

Catching onto Nora’s ploy right away, he reached for both of her wrists and tugged them aside, around her neck.

“Nora,” he warned.

“It’s...it’s not you,” she protested. “If… you can’t stop _me_ from… don’t be an _ass_.”

“But teasing you is so much fun,” he purred, smiling at the poor excuse of an insult. She whined pathetically, leaning into him.

“Cullen...please…”

“Specifics,” he reminded her. “Tell me _what_ you want.”

“I want to… to do it myself.”

“Do _what_ yourself?”

“I- to get- I want to… get… myself… off.”

He paused, looking down at her flushed, shivering body, and thought about it for a moment. An idea popped into his head, and he just _smirked_ at her.

“You can get yourself off,” he agreed. “But I get to watch.”

Nora’s mouth dropped open, a sharp, aroused gasp filling the room.

“Cullen-”

“Just don’t forget,” he loosened his grip and ran a finger up her neck, stopping just under her chin. “You’re needed elsewhere. You might not have time,” he taunted. “So, it’s either with me or not. What’s your choice?”

“I-”

She swallowed.

“... watch me.”

Cullen’s brow cocked. The smirk deepened. “Watch you do _what_?” he repeated.

“Y-you...can watch...me...when I…”

“ _Can I_ ? Hmm, Nora, Nora,” he tsked, licking his lips. “ _You’re_ the one asking permission here. Not me.”

“Can I...get off?” she asked slowly. Cullen nodded, smiling, and she tugged at her hands, silently requesting him to let her go.

“Not like this,” he told her, and immediately began pulling her out of the door. For a moment, she was terrified he’d pull her outside, but he didn’t, dragging her into her office and placing her near the desk. Releasing her hands, he found her immediately dropping her fingers to her clit, and caught her wrist.

“Cullen-”

“Not like this,” he repeated firmly. “You stay there. Wait for me to get dressed. You’re gonna make a _hell_ of a mess all over the floor. And then when I’m dressed, you can come. Got that?”

Nora nodded, swallowing. He let go of her wrist gently, shooting his hands to the back of her neck and tilting her head up to meet him. Their kiss was deep, needy, as he inhaled sharply, filling his head with the smell of sex and rain, and a hint of roses, a little ozone from her laser weapons. Nora’s rear reached the desk and his momentum helped her slide on top. She began to coat her fingers in the mess of her cunt, teasing her opening. A small rush of their warm mixture seeped out, dripping onto the cool metal as their moans once again filled the office. Nora’s thighs struggled to stay apart as she rubbed her clit, her body tensing.  

They parted and Cullen’s eyes softened for a second, honeyed under the office lighting before another grin took hold of his expression. His gaze darted from her furrowed expression to her hands and sex. He slipped a leg through his vault suit and noticed, as predicted, a short stream of cum dribble off the desk between Nora’s thighs, and hit the floor.

“Please,” Nora voiced. She bit her lip, holding back a whimper as she watched him. He was taking his damn time to dress himself, just watching her… and _smirking._

“Almost there, Nora. Keep it together,” he teased her, crossing the office the reach his duster. She slowed her hands, watching him slide the coat around his shoulders leisurely, spending torturous amounts of time brushing the (still wet) coat off before he leaned against a wall and watched her. She was barely keeping her eyes open, forcing her hands to slow.

 _“Cullen,”_ she whispered. He suddenly stood.

“My scarf,” he remembered, and wandered out of the room, leaving her by herself. He took slow steps, meandering into the garage and plucking the flag off of the workbench, tying it around his neck and casually making his way back to her. “God, look at _you._ ”

Her hair had dried a little but still clung to her skin, her chest heaving as she panted, fingers still pressed to her clit as she tried not to move them too much. She was coiled tight as a spring, and Cullen loved it.

“Please…”

“I’m watching, aren’t I?” he told her.

It didn’t take long.

Even with the thunder overhead, her noises grew louder, and the wet sound of her fingers stroking her clit met his ears. Her skin was still gleaming, and she reached out a hand to steady herself against the desk as her thighs shook, forcing herself to stand upright. Cullen just watched. He heard her nails scrape against the metal, and Nora’s eyes found his. He just nodded, taking a few steps closer, and Nora pressed a hand to her mouth and stifled a scream when she came.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her palm from her lips. The tail end of a loud, helpless cry hit him, and he basked in it, watching the hand between her thighs slow. The light of the office room shone off the mess coating her skin.

“You need a shower,” he told her. Nora looked up, her right hand raising to her mouth and two fingers slipping between her lips. She cleaned them off, tongue sweeping the slick and cum off the skin as she kept her eyes on Cullen’s. “Nothing to say?”

Her fingers clean, she reached for him, and Cullen found himself being kissed again, slow and deep, her hands grasping his collar. He gripped her hips, pulling her in close, and felt her shiver at the cold, wet clothes on her skin. The heat of her bled through the suit, and he moaned as she nibbled his lip. And then, abruptly, she pulled away, and Cullen was left standing, a little breathless, watching her wipe the cum off her thighs with _his_ scarf.

His lips pursed, still grinning with his tongue in his cheek. Her use of his token of military service in Alaska brought a slight heat rolling under his collar. But she had no idea of its significance. Besides, it could be washed.

"This the beginning of you making my life hell?" he wondered aloud. "I could get used to a little...excitement."

“You’re going to get hypothermia, that exciting enough?” she asked. “C’mon. I’ve got clothes in my house.”

“I don’t think you and I are the same size, Nora,” he said with a smirk, crossing his arms to stop himself from leaping for his scarf.

“I have male friends, Cullen,” she informed him. “And people sometimes sleep in my house overnight.”

"Do they leave behind their intimates too?" he teased. "You're not getting that back, by the way."

“Well, maybe we should make it fair, and I keep this?” she suggested, and took a few steps towards the door. “It’s dirty now, after all.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he said, a little sharper than intended. Nora paused, and looked down at the scarf. When she looked back at him, her eyes were soft.

“Cullen,” she began gently, “this scarf is important to you, isn’t it?”

His grip tensed, holding his arms in place. He felt a light frown twist his face. It was a dead giveaway and he knew it. Swallowing, he deflected her gaze. There was no escaping it now, so he just looked back at her, her easy blue eyes catching him off guard.

"Might be," he grumbled, his jaw clenched. "But that was awhile ago. It's nothing more than a nice rag now."

“Still.” She kept walking, and he followed her out of the southern door and into a different building. “Nice rag or not, it’s yours. It means something. I’ll clean it.”

"Nora. Hey, it's not-" He quickened his pace to catch up to her, trying to swipe the scarf from her hand but she pulled away just as he caught the edge of fabric. He felt like such a child. "Fuck sakes," he mumbled.

“It’s covered in mess, Cullen,” she said. “I’m not going to hand it over when it’s filthy. Promise you’ll let me clean it up?”

Knowing Nora likely had his movements memorized by now, Cullen gave in. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? He still strained all he could to prevent from pouting like he did as a kid.

"Fine," he growled. Nora smiled victoriously, leading him up the stairs to her bedroom and heading over to her wardrobe. She placed the rag down on her dresser, opening the doors of the wardrobe. It was old and had been fixed a few times before, but she had a collection of clothing she’d scavenged from around the Commonwealth. There were a few sealed Vault suits, varying sizes of shirts and trousers, some coats and a few hats. Nora seemed to have lost any semblance of fluster, and seemed at ease as she made her way around her room, naked. She pushed open a door into a small room that turned out to be a bathroom of some kind, and found a towel, wiping up the rest of the mess that had leaked out from her.

“Take your pick,” she told him, gesturing to the ensemble.

Cullen scanned the wardrobe's contents with the rest of the room. He hadn't noticed this addition to the gas station at all while he snuck inside. The floorboards under him looked straight. He didn't feel physically crooked like he did in any other shack in the wastes. This seemed almost professional.

"Just like that?" he inquired, slipping the duster from his shoulders again. "Anything I want? You lace anything with poison? What's the catch?"

“Welcome to the Minutemen, Cullen,” Nora said with a laugh, reaching into the wardrobe to pull a clean Vault suit from a shelf. “It’s like Communism, except with me, not Josef Stalin.”

He chuckled at the comparison, ignoring the Old-World stigma he felt about it. He always liked the idea, just not the dictatorship. Hopefully the Minutemen won’t put him in front of a firing squad once they experience how much of an asshole he was.

“So, is this what working with you is going to be like?” he asked, draping the coat over a chair and unzipping the soaking wet suit.

“Yep. Except that…I don’t usually, you know...sleep with my help,” she informed him, taking off her boots and tossing them down. She located a fresh set of underwear and another towel, wiping her skin dry and squeezing water out of her hair.

Cullen chuckled, pulling the suit from his legs after having kicked off his boots. He began running a hand over the sealed vault suits. The feeling of pristine plastic momentarily took him back to that fateful day. Shoving the thought aside, he grabbed a pouch labeled his size and tore it open, letting the garment unfold from his hands. It was so clean, he was almost reluctant to wear it. His was sectionally sun bleached, torn, stitched, burned, and stained with blood from so many people including himself. He threw the new suit over the wardrobe door and found a towel.

“If it keeps you coming back from time to time, consider me a situational convenience instead,” he joked. Nora smiled, pulling the straps of the bra over her arms and hooking the clasp at the back.

“I promise not to steal your bike again,” she assured him, and began to pull the suit over her legs, zipping herself into it. The coat and hat were draped over a chair nearby, and she retrieved a different pair of much shorter boots, putting them on as she watched Cullen dress in much cleaner, drier clothes. “I’ll wash your vault suit as well, if you want.”

He considered her offer for a moment,  adjusting inside the new suit. "Sure," he said, crossing the bedroom while Nora's back was turned. He slid his hands around her waist before she could reach her coat. She felt his lips press against her neck, gasping lightly in surprise. "It'll give me more reason to come back," he whispered. "Now, about this job."

“I-I think...maybe you should come back to Sanctuary with me to discuss that,” she finally told him, her breath hitchin. “I...don’t think I’ll keep my clothes on, otherwise.”

He grumbled, the noise vibrating against her skin. Reluctantly, he retreated back to the wardrobe as he searched for boots that might fit him.

"Let's not wait around then," he called over his shoulder. Nora put her hat and coat on, and pulled an umbrella out from the corner of her room, smiling.

“You sound disappointed,” she teased, finding a spare clip to secure her hair.

"Well," Cullen chuckled, leaning on a dresser by the doorway, "usually I enjoy a post-coital drink, maybe a nap while I'm still cuffed to the bed."

Nora coughed, gesturing to him to follow her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

“You can have a drink at my house,” she offered. “I won’t...I promise I won’t cuff you. This time.”

Cullen laughed.

They made their way out of the building together and started towards Sanctuary, safe from the driving rain beneath the large umbrella. Nora held her shoulders back, brushing off any dirt from her coat. She appeared stately, regal even. Cullen grinned at the sight, snuggly shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked beside her.

"So," Nora piped. "How _did_ you get out of the cuffs?"

Cullen chuckled. He’d had a response ready for days. "Oh, I prayed to the bondage gods and then passed out. Woke up, damn thing was gone."

“Clearly I need to change my religion,” she said dryly.

In reality, he’d shot part of the metal off his wrist and got a gunpowder burn for his troubles. Thankfully, Nora hadn't noticed, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"And what does the _holy General_ believe in, hmm?" Sanctuary was coming into view. They were lucky the storm had let up. The skies were clearing and they found themselves  
walking towards the bridge, suffering nothing more than a sparse pitter-patter of drizzle.

“I used to be a Hindu, or sort of, back when that counted,” she told him, leading him across the bridge. Each plank had been replaced, held into the frame by new nails and coated with a waterproof mixture. “Welcome to Sanctuary, Cullen.”

He frowned without intending to. _Sanctuary._ That damned town his wife insisted on moving to. They hadn't been moved in a week until the bombs dropped. He hadn't been back since escaping Vault 111 and noticed it wasn't the wreck he last saw. The buildings were completely repaired, even the roofs reshingled. Windows were replaced and Cullen spotted various crops between homes. Along the road, missile turrets were placed at strategic points and he felt a prick of envy over them.

"Nice hardware," he said genuinely. Nora detected the hint of enthusiasm in his tone. She smiled.

“Thanks. Took Sturges and I a little while to collect everything we needed for them, but it was worth the amount of caps we spent. One night, we had raiders try to make it across the bridge. They didn’t get far, and none of them have come back since,” she told him, as they began walking up the road. Paving slabs had been replaced, weeds and tufts of grass dug out from between the cracks. It didn’t look exactly like it had done before the war, but it was close. The evening sun that had peeked out from behind the thunderclouds now bathed the settlement in a warm glow, gleaming off the wet stone and grass.

“Afternoon, General,” a voice called, and Jun Long joined them as they made their way up the road.

“Hey Jun,” she greeted. The man’s eyes flicked past her to Cullen. “This is Cullen.”

“Cullen?” Jun repeated. “Came out of the Vault? Stopped to help us out and then ran off? That Cullen?”

The mechanic sighed and forced a smile Jun's way before returning to scan the town. "Didn't think you'd survive the walk here, Jun," he thought out loud.

Jun's brow quirked and then narrowed at Nora. "Don't tell me he's with us now," he whispered, pointing a finger between them. Nora looked over at the mechanic with a single arched brow.

“Don’t worry, Jun, he’s not an official Minuteman,” she assured him. “He just works for me. You won’t see him that often. How has everything been here, more importantly?”

“Well, when the storm hit, we had a little trouble with the lights.” Jun looked at Cullen again. “You going to tell _him?_ ”

“Sure, in a minute.”

Jun nodded. “Sturges tried to get everything settled but there was still some disturbance, last I checked.”

“Thanks, Jun,” Nora said softly. “I appreciate you two jumping into action whenever there’s trouble.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Jun said. “It’s…I don’t know. Makes it less painful.”

“Yeah.” She squeezed Jun’s shoulder gently. “Is Sturges at my place?”

“He is.”

“Okay. Thanks, Jun. Seriously, I owe you two.”

“Don’t mention it, General. It means a lot to us too.”

Cullen groaned softly, maintaining a distance from both of them. “You two are making me nauseous,” he muttered.

“Poor baby,” she cooed, turning her head to glare at him for a moment. Jun was likewise unimpressed.

Nora’s house was in the middle of Sanctuary, a greenhouse leading off the driveway that was filled with wasteland blossoms. Chairs and tables had been arranged on the driveway, and the front garden was a mass of mutfruit trees. She had built a small warehouse shack over the top of the roof of the carport. Cullen couldn’t see into it to discern what was inside. She kept walking up the path, pushing open the orange door and stepping inside. The walls were worn and a little dirty, but they had clearly been washed and treated. A few old rugs covered the floor, in a similar state to the walls. The kitchen was composed of a battered but working fridge, shelves and cupboards holding food, and a stove. Some furniture here had clearly been pulled out of the Vault, but the place looked homely and in better condition than most Wasteland abodes, so much so that Cullen resisted the urge to remove his boots at the door.

“Sturges?” Nora called.

“In here, ma’am!” she heard him say. She turned to Cullen.

“Take a seat, I’ll be back in a second.”

The General headed down a hallway on her left, leaving Cullen to sit by himself with Jun standing by the door. The farmhand quickly forced a smile of his own at the mechanic, and turned to leave. Cullen clicked his tongue, patting his palms against his thighs and looking around. He could hear Nora talking, her voice gentle, and Sturges was saying something to her that he couldn’t make out. Just about to get up and sneak closer, he stayed put at the sound of their footsteps nearing the hall again. Nora appeared at a doorway at the end of the hall, carrying something he couldn’t see in the dark. She made her way into the sitting room, and then Cullen suddenly realised what was in her arms.

He frowned, suddenly tensing at the sight of the child. It looked no more than 3 months old, tiny, with dark skin and thick black curls. Infants unnerved him. At any moment they could shriek, shit, cry, or demand attention for any number of undecipherable reasons. It always made him wonder how his own parents didn’t throw him out the window.

“I know,” Nora was saying to it, stroking her fingers across its cheek, “I know. Mom had to go do really important shit. But I’m here now!”

She took a seat on the other couch near the window, keeping the child’s eyes away from the sunlight pouring through the glass, as Sturges wandered down the hallway.

“See you later, ma’am,” he called, giving Cullen a quick nod, and left.

“Bye!” she said. “Thanks again! I owe you!”

Bracing the tiny body against her arm, she began unzipping her suit. She shot a glance at Cullen and wasn’t surprised to see him physically uncomfortable, not at what she was about to do, but at her child’s presence itself.

“Somebody doesn’t like storms as much as their mom does,” she sighed, kissing the baby’s forehead. The infant complained briefly. “That’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy didn’t like storms either.”

She laid the child in her lap and pulled her coat around one shoulder, working her bra strap down. She picked the baby up again and settled her in, letting her feed. Cullen rubbed his thighs, scanning the room and finding a glimmer of hope in a radio by the stove in the kitchen. He rose sharply and manoeuvred the room towards the appliance, reaching for the nob. Nora flicked her eyes up and caught him.

“Hey, no, don’t,” she pleaded and Cullen’s hand instantly tensed before it reached the radio. “I’ll never get her settled if you turn that on.” She heard him curse under his breath before returning to the couch against the wall.

There was a short period of silence, broken only by the sound of Nora’s child - daughter - feeding. The General seemed to only have eyes for her baby, and she almost seemed to be ignoring him.

“What’s, uh,” he pointed awkwardly. “What’s her name?”

“Nila,” Nora replied. “She’s...3 months old? Yeah. Time’s been a blur.” There was a pause. “No, two.”

“Yeah my, my wife was the same way sometimes. I don’t remember exactly.” He tried making conversation to stifle his discomfort.

“ _You_ were married?” she poked without taking her eyes off Nila. “With a kid? You don’t seem the type.” She grinned at him. “And by that I mean you’ve got a certain...charm. Not everybody is...attracted to it. Or able to stand it. No offense.”

He chuckled uneasily, palms still patting his legs. “Yeah, well… It, uh, took a lot of convincing on her part.”

“To reproduce with you?” she teased.

“That part was easy,” he replied flatly. What was he supposed to say? He never had model parents. Children are so… delicate. None of his knowledge really applied. You couldn’t cuss them out, tighten a bolt if they leaked. He was anxious he’d end up fucking up the kid’s childhood as much as his parents did to him. Even the idea of touching them unsettled him. He wasn’t about to explain that, but he could barely manage to hide behind his demeanor as it was.

“Not a fan of kids?” she guessed.

“No, no! It’s just-” He sighed, unable and unwilling to find and share the words. “The job. Can we get to the job?”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Depending on where you want to settle yourself, we’d set you up with a radio and you can call for supplies whenever you need them. The really rare shipments, you might have to throw a few caps their way. You get paid whenever you make repairs. With that bike of yours, you could be very useful travelling the Commonwealth, and I’d make sure the roads got cleared for you. If you don’t want to fight...eh, I can’t force you to. Not unless we’re desperate.”

Nila seemed to have stopped feeding, and Nora wiped the baby’s mouth clean, tucking herself back in her suit and carefully sitting her up to pat the child’s back gently.

“Basically, you’re doing what you do now, except you can ask for stuff you need, and _I_ pay you.”

He averted his eyes from her child for a moment to think, focusing on the orange door of their home. Nora’s proposal sounded like the easiest job he’d get anytime soon. He was already pretty comfortable wandering into Sunshine Tidings and a couple others whenever it pleased him to see what they wanted. And now, having supplied _brought_ to him? Getting paid even _more_? Well, it was hard to refuse. All that remained was the details.

“So, how does the pay work? You send a runner to see what I did or do you… do that yourself? Am I to visit with an activity log?”

“More the latter,” she told him. “Yeah, you’d have to come visit and give me a list of what you’ve done. You up for the drive?” He chuckled, clearly a little more at ease, and nodded.

“Speaking of which,” he said, his usual confident tone returning, “where the hell are my keys?”

She reached into the pocket of her coat, and pulled them out. Nila cooed and tried reaching for them as they jingled. “Catch.” She tossed them to him. “No, sweetheart. I know they make a funny noise, but they’re not for you. Not these ones, anyway. I’ll see if Sturges will find some for you.”

Nora paused, and then she looked up at him.

“One order I have for you,” she began. “Don’t be such a dick.” Cullen laughed and reclined on the sofa.

“How about I start right now.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a holotape marked with a blue strip and placed it on the coffee table between them. Nora’s brow quirked at the disk. “Pipboy upgrade. Pop it in like any video game and it’ll reboot, installing new software to your maps. Real-time tracking for your patrols and settlements. I already snuck a tracker onto a patrol on my way over here earlier. You can try it out whenever.”

Nora leaned over as best she could with a baby in her lap. “So, no hard feelings about the cuffs, then,” she commented. “Seriously, this...this would be amazing. Can I try it now?”

He shook his head. “That kind of thing happens to me all the time. No sweat. Hell, you can even borrow the bike from time to time... if you _ask politely_ ,” he pointed, then motioned the holotape. “Give it a whirl.”

Nora picked it up, settling her daughter into the crook of her arm as the baby began to drowse. She slid the tape into the player, and let it run. The device went dark, and then after a few moments, lit up once more. Vault Boy appeared on her screen, the image flickering briefly. Finally, she was able to skip over to her map, and a white dot appeared on one of the roads near Graygarden. Her eyes widened, a smile lighting up her face.

“So, yeah, white dots are your military units. I’ve got triangles for supply lines too but I have yet to activate the tracker. You say ‘go’ and I’ll make a shit load… for a price, of course.”

“Hey, only I can swear around the baby,” she warned, but playfully. “Just tell me what you need. Caps, equipment, scrap, food…” She stroked a hand through Nila’s hair. “If I wasn’t holding her, I would kiss you.”

“Save it for a rainy day,” he grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> two enablers become friends. they write porn. it was good fun.


End file.
